Good Riddance
by labellily
Summary: Usagi gets fed up with everything that's going *wrong* in her life, so she snaps. This "attidude problem" lands her in a summer camp for teens with issues...
1. Chapter One

Good Riddance  
  
  
  
  
  
Cloudy blue eyes gazed at the computer screen. Words flew across the world, appearing on another screen to be met by equally emotionless eyes. Of course, the owner of the blue eyes had no reason to guess at the personality of her erstwhile companion, but for some reason the blue eyed soul felt that words were not needed to send emotion across the ocean.  
  
Nimble fingers danced across the keyboard. Pink lips mouthed the words. A delicate brow furrowed, and then smoothed. There was a beeping sound, which drew the eyes of the students in her class. She felt their eyes on her; their cold, accusing eyes. Her lips drew back in a feral smile.  
  
She didn't care. Ah, yes. One advantage to a handicap. It provided you with an incredibly handy wall to erect around your heart, to hide yourself away from all the mocking looks. Not that she could even see them.  
  
She ignored the other students and very carefully began finishing up her most magnificent creation ever. She specialized in outstandingly annoying computer programs, and absolutely diabolical viruses. She sent them in a disk to her customers all across the world. No one knew about her huge stash of cash, and she planned to keep it that way. One day she intended to use that stash to get the hell away from Japan.  
  
But that wasn't the thing that was exciting her. What was making her blood race was the program she was about to send the school's "beloved" principal Dr. Winner. Well, maybe she was the only one that didn't care much for the rich bastard. But what the hell? She clicked the send button. Blue-eyes knew she was going to get in huge trouble, especially when they found out she had no idea how to fix the damned thing. But good Lord would it be a fun ten seconds before she got in trouble.  
  
She sighed as the door flew open. Maybe the old man was a little faster on his feet than she had originally thought. She felt furious eyes fasten on her back. So make that seven seconds of fun, she thought as she composed her face.  
  
The principal drew a deep breath, willing himself to not kill the girl. She was absolutely hopeless. Sometimes she showed social signs, and then she would retreat without warning. Other times she would be sweet and shy, and then the next moment she would do something like this.  
  
"Tsukino-san, would you please accompany me to the office?"  
  
The small blonde stood slowly, and turned those cloudy eyes on him. She smiled innocently, and he found himself hard pressed to keep from breaking his resolve not to bring harm to her.  
  
And of course, like she always did, she sensed his mood and added a touch of maliciousness to the innocence. She straightened her T-shirt and stepped lightly over to him.  
  
"Of course, Dr. Winner. It would be my pleasure."  
  
She walked cautiously out the door. Before he followed her, he intercepted five glares from five different girls. Hino Rei scowled at him, and then turned back to her computer. The two blondes, Anio Minako and Liko Mia, tossed their hair, gave the Tsukino girl a look of contempt, and went back to checking their e-mail. The other two, Mizuno Ami and Kino Makoto blushed and looked away.  
  
Interesting.  
  
  
  
Usagi stared at the ceiling, wishing she could count the tiles. How many times had she done that? How many times had she and Minako been there together, in trouble again for a prank? But now everything was different. Everything. The wall around her heart thickened, and she sighed a little. Usagi shifted her position in the chair and folded her hands in her lap. She didn't even flinch when Dr. Winner opened the door and walked in. She waited.  
  
That was the worst thing about being blind, she decided. The waiting. Not knowing your opponent's expression. Not knowing where he's attacking from. Not knowing when. She tensed herself, and fixed her eyes where she thought he was. Usagi felt the familiar burning in her cheeks, knowing that her eyes were fastened somewhere on the wall, about three feet away from him.  
  
"Tsukino-san, would you care to explain this new…joke of yours?"  
  
"Not particularly."  
  
See him try to be polite to her. He didn't like her, so why did he pretend? It didn't make sense. She heard him sigh.  
  
"You're going to anyways."  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
"You'll get expelled." His voice was tense.  
  
"I'll get expelled anyways." Inside she was growling at him. If she was going to get expelled, why not leave them with a little present? She was going to go anyways, so she didn't see why she should. No sense. This man was insane.  
  
He was silent for a moment. "Where are your friends."  
  
The knife that was lodged in her heart twisted painfully. "I don't have any."  
  
Pause. "Certainly you have one." Hopefully.  
  
Her voice grew icicles. "I have none." She didn't even want to think about it. It hurt too much.  
  
"Tsukino-san, maybe you could tell me about Hino Rei, Kino Makoto, Mizuno Ami, Anio Minako, and Liko Mia?"  
  
She froze. How the hell had he found out about them? No! She couldn't let those memories back up. That would just lead to worse pain. Worse. Ha! If that was even possible. But what would she tell him? The truth wasn't what he was expecting, but if she told their families would be hurt. Then she realized what she was thinking. Fuck them.  
  
She narrowed her eyes. "Dr. Winner, I've never seen you, and I don't think I want to. I've become a better judge of character than I ever hoped I'd be since the accident. You are a nice man with a low self- esteem. So far that's all I know. But I think you can have the truth. Those bitches previously mentioned are the Sailor Senshi. Liko is Sailor Moon, Anio is Venus, Kino is Jupiter, Mizuno is Mercury, and Hino is Mars. They used to be my friends. After my accident, they totally throw me to the goddamned trash."  
  
She clenched her fists, angry tears dripping down her face. "I'll bet you don't know why I'm so pissed off. Well, I'll goddamned tell you why. I was Sailor Moon." She laughed bitterly. "The one and only. It started back when I was fourteen. I gathered them together. I fought. I killed for them. Damn it, I died for them! I had a nice, secure future. Then I went blind. And they kicked me out of their clique and got another damned Sailor Moon."  
  
Usagi's face was flushed with anger, and her nails were digging into her palms. She looked up at him, eyes dark and angry.  
  
"You don't believe me."  
  
Dr. Samuel Winner watched the sightless girl scowl at him in a sort of satisfaction. She was Sailor Moon. He had pictures of her from her Jr. High years. The hairstyle matched. The speech pattern matched. He found himself unable to disbelieve her. He smiled and leaned forward.  
  
"I believe you."  
  
The blonde jerked back at stared at a spot on the wall. Her voice was hoarse. "Wonderful. Now I have someone that knows the secret behind my permanent bitchiness."  
  
He almost smiled, but he merely leaned back in his chair and intertwined his fingers. "Now about this program you sent…."  
  
The lines of her face hardened, and he sighed inwardly as the inevitable retort flew at him.  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
He sighed audibly and stood. The damned blonde never went about life the easy way. She made friends by being a super heroine, she tested them by going blind, and now she was going to learn a lesson, again the hard way.  
  
"Tsukino-san, I really hadn't wanted to do this, but I feel that I have no choice. Your bus leaves on Saturday at nine AM sharp. Pack for a the whole summer."  
  
A confused look crossed her face. "Nani?"  
  
He rubbed a hand across his face. "Tsukino-san, you have given these computers too many viruses, mouthed off too many times, and let your grades slip too far."  
  
Her eyes widened. "No."  
  
He nodded, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Afraid so, Tsukino- san. You're going to a summer long correctional camp."  
  
  
  
She and her mother were in the car driving home from school. Tension hummed through the air, and Usagi could picture her mother's white knuckles gripping the steering wheel. Of course, there was once a time that she would have cared. But she didn't. Not anymore. Usagi leaned back into the chair, smiling wryly.  
  
"Being blind is going to prove to be a handicap at this summer camp." She internally winced when she heard the mocking lilt in her voice.  
  
There was silence. Usagi felt a tiny knot of sick anticipation grow in her stomach. What would her beloved mother say?  
  
Suddenly a fist slammed against the wheel, making her jump.  
  
"Damn it, Usagi! Why did you do this? We've told you countless times not to download those viruses of yours onto the school computers! This one just---arg! I can't even talk to you. You've changed. You've changed since the fire, and since you went blind. You've become a total bitch. But you don't care, do you?"  
  
Usagi looked out the window, eyes growing even paler. "No, I don't."  
  
They drove in silence for about five more minutes. Finally, Ikuko broke the silence.  
  
"Say, Usagi, why don't I ever see Minako or Rei anymore? Why don't you invite them over? We can throw a party or something."  
  
Usagi turned her pale blue eyes on the mother she couldn't see. She stared at Ikuko for a few seconds, and then turned back to the window. Ikuko found herself wishing she had just not even spoken, and that Usagi would turn around during the summer.  
  
After three long minutes that seemed like eternity, they were home. Without saying a word, Ikuko got out of the car and went inside. Usagi just sat in the car, not looking at anything. Her mother's comments were ringing in her ears.  
  
"You've changed…since you went blind…such a bitch…"  
  
So her own mother hated her now. Usagi felt the tears begin, but she squeezed her eyes shut and banished them. It meant nothing. Absolutely nothing. All it said was that she was too weak, and that she'd have to strengthen her defenses. She sighed, and wiped her eyes.  
  
"Ah…so the little girl has feelings after all."  
  
Usagi froze in mid-wipe and lowered her arm. Her body was suddenly flooded with an unreasonable fear. There was a strange man in her car, and she had no way to fight him, seeing as her Crystal was gone….  
  
"I would like to introduce myself. My name is Amos Whittaker. I represent the interests of a certain individual."  
  
Usagi's voice, when she finally spoke, was harsh. "What do you want?"  
  
She could feel the man smiling behind her. "We want to make a proposition. We simply require you to give up a portion of your soul."  
  
No way, she almost shouted. But what would more of her soul in the Devil's hands would hurt? It wouldn't. She was too far gone to care anyways.  
  
"What would I get in return?" she asked cautiously.  
  
"Sight." The man answered promptly.  
  
Usagi was sure her heart stopped beating for a second. She certainly forgot to breathe. Sight! Her dearest, most cherished dream! Oh, the programs she could create! But was it worth the price? A portion always meant 25%. That would make 50% of her soul gone. So…if she stayed clean, she would land in Purgatory, serve her penance, and then fly to Heaven. And she would be able to see. So was it worth it?  
  
Hell yeah.  
  
"Mister, it's a deal."  
  
She braced herself for the uncomfortable feeling of her soul being stripped from her body. When it came, she was still unprepared for the excruciating pain. She hunched over, squeezing her ribs, certain that this time she wasn't going to survive. Then it was gone, and she straitened. For some reason, she felt fuller somehow than she had in a long, long, time. Then she opened her eyes.  
  
Sunlight streamed through the trees, casting odd patches of light on the street. The leaves on the trees and the blades of the grass were stunningly green, and the sky was a breathtaking shade of blue. The colors danced though her mind, and her heart swelled so much she felt liable to burst.  
  
So she laughed instead. She flung open the door to the van and threw herself onto the grass to stare in wonder at the sky. It was absolutely amazing. It was just…words couldn't even begin to describe it. She sat up and looked at the man that was grinning at her. Usagi jumped up and flung herself into his arms.  
  
"Thank you so much! Oh, thank you! I can't even---oh…."  
  
Amos flushed, and then pushed away from her. "No worries, mate. I'll be needing to go now, but…I might see you around. G'day."  
  
Then he was gone, leaving Usagi blinking. Then she shrugged and walked into the house. She walked through the kitchen, past her mother, paused long enough to remark about her mother's graying hair, and continued on to the fridge. She very casually opened it, grabbed the milk, poured herself a glass, and replaced the milk. Then she turned around and walked back out into the living room.  
  
Shingo looked up at her as she plopped down on the couch. He stuck his tongue out at her, and turned back to his homework. Then he was hanging in the air by the front of his shirt, looking into the furious face of his pissed off sister.  
  
"Don't make faces at me, brat." She hissed. Then she dropped him on the floor and walked out of the room.  
  
Shingo stared after her in shock, and then turned to his parents who were staring at him in horrified shock.  
  
"Mom? I thought she was blind…" he said weakly.  
  
  
  
Usagi stormed down the street, with her own, personal black cloud raining on her head. Shingo-baka. Teach him to make faces at a "blind" girl. Why was she always having bad days? It didn't make it any better when she noticed her pink shirt and her blue jeans. And it certainly didn't improve her mood when she bumped into someone.  
  
"Watch where you're going, moon brat," a cold voice hissed.  
  
She lifted her glare from the ground to his blue eyes. Mamoru. Nope. Not her day. Her glare became even worse.  
  
"Get lost, dumb ass."  
  
Then she hauled back and rammed her fist into his face, and instantly turned on the tears.  
  
"Teach you to cheat on me!" she screamed at him as she ran away.  
  
Three blocks down she slowed to a sauntering walk. Then she allowed herself to smirk. That had been fun. She began whistling something and trekked over to the mall. She needed new clothes. Dark green, red, black, and dark blue. No happy, bright colors. Not her thing. She smiled as she entered the air conditioned building. Her home. She totally ignored the group of five girls that were tittering amongst themselves. Actually, that would be a lie. She shoved right by Rei, who glared at her furiously.  
  
Usagi passed right by Abercrombie and Fitch, and veered into Hot Topic. About an hour later, she came out with three bags of clothes. She was already wearing one outfit. It was a black belly shirt that tied around the neck, and tight black pants. Of course, there were also the black boots, and the black leather jacket. She smirked when she saw the Senshi come trooping out of the American Eagle in their happy, preppy clothes.  
  
Morons, she thought angrily at them. Why couldn't they just impale themselves on a stick or something? She decided to calm herself down, and headed for the hair stylist.  
  
A half-hour later she smiled at herself in the mirror. It was a short cut; about down to her shoulder blades. It was now layered, and was curled out. She also had her ears done, and was now sporting large silver hoops. The smile dropped from her face, and she walked out of the store. She paused, undecided for a moment, and then wandered toward Sam Goody.  
  
Now her goal was to get CD's that would drive her parents absolutely mad. Great fun. All she needed now was an English accent and she would have everything she wanted. Well, except revenge of course. And the missing half of her soul. But that was all her fault, so she was just going to wait.  
  
Once inside Sam Goody, she went right to the Rock section. She grabbed Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park and the newest POD CD. On her rounds she also picked up a Green Day CD, Sum 41, and Blink 182.  
  
"I thought you were blind."  
  
Her face instantly twisted into a scowl, and she turned around to face the girl that she never wanted to see again. Liko Mia. No, wait. She wouldn't give Liko the satisfaction of knowing that she had pissed her off. Never. She controlled her face, and slipped into an expressionless mask.  
  
Liko looked impatient. "Well? I thought you were blind. You are very obviously not. What happened?  
  
Usagi answered in a monotone. "I sold my soul."  
  
She had the sweet satisfaction of seeing the brat pale. How did this girl ever manage to survive battles if she couldn't even take a bit of soul selling?  
  
Liko swallowed. "But, um, how much?"  
  
Usagi shrugged and turned back to the CDs. "I sold a quarter of my soul once to save my family's lives. I sold another quarter to regain my sight. That makes half."  
  
"But I thought you were the Tsuki no Hime…" Liko trailed off at the sight of Usagi's face.  
  
"No, Liko Mia. I am not the Tsuki no Hime. She is dead. I am Tsukino Usagi, who is a very angry girl about to go to a correctional summer camp. For violence you know, and breaking several other laws."  
  
Liko paled again, and made a quick retreat. Usagi smirked, and went home.  
  
  
  
Ikuko, Kenji, and Shingo were waiting for her. Ikuko was wringing her hands, Kenji was looking worried, and Shingo was looking…weird. Just weird. She smiled sweetly at them.  
  
"Hello, beloved family."  
  
"Usagi, sit down."  
  
She shrugged, and dropped down onto the couch next to Shingo, who scooted away. She bared her teeth at him, but it couldn't be called a smile at any stretch of the imagination. He went a shade whiter. She turned back to her parents and stared at them until Kenji cleared his throat.  
  
"Usagi, tell me. Can you see?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Duh. I can see everything from your gun positioned cleverly beside your chair all the way to your gray hair."  
  
"You were blind this morning. You said so loudly and clearly. How did this miracle happen? Obviously Heaven has granted you a miracle."  
  
She laughed harshly. "Wrong end of the dead ladder, Pop. I sold my soul, thanks for asking. Now if you don't mind, I'm packing for my fun filled, exciting summer trip to hell!" she said cheerfully.  
  
Then she stood up, grabbed her ten bags, and went upstairs.  
  
  
  
Saturday  
  
  
  
Usagi glared at the yellow bus like it was going to come alive and bite her. Of course, considering that most of the people in the bus were "juvenile delinquents" like she was, it might not come a live, but it could certainly bite her. She saw her mother making a beeline towards her, so she picked up her bags and hurried onto the bus. She was not in the mood to hear any more scolding from Ikuko. Nope, definitely not.  
  
She was barred from getting on the bus by a mean looking Chinese boy. He held up a checklist and glared at her.  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
She glared right back. "Tsukino."  
  
He scowled at her, and made a checkmark on his clipboard. Then he gestured her inside.  
  
"Inside, onna."  
  
It was all she could do not to deck him. Then she paused. Wasn't she a delinquent? Wasn't violent behavior expected of them? Well…yes. So she swung her fist at him, catching him squarely in the jaw. He made this awesome fish face, and she laughed as she walked to the back of the bus.  
  
  
  
Duo ran over to the furious Wufei, laughing.  
  
"Dude, did I see right? Did that babe just punch you? Wu-man got hit by a GIRL!"  
  
Wufei rubbed his jaw. "Shut up, braided-baka, or I'll cut that precious part that you would be absolutely devastating to use."  
  
Duo's eyes widened, and he grabbed his braid. "Not my braid!"  
  
The blonde girl that punched Wufei leaned out the window and yelled over at them.  
  
"The Chinese kid means your dick, dumbass!"  
  
She pulled her head back into the bus and pulled the window closed. Duo looked at Wufei in horror.  
  
"You mean to de-braid me *and* cut off my dick? Bad, bad boy. Anyways, who's that chick?"  
  
Wufei glared at him. "Already siding with the enemy? Her name's Tsukino."  
  
Duo flipped through a sheaf of papers until he came to her name. His cobalt eyes widened. Then he whistled.  
  
"Hey, buddy, listen to what Q-man's dad wrote about her. She's broken almost every single law that applies to computers, and her personality's very volatile. Um…she likes to download viruses and screwed up programs. The school has had to have computer experts come down just to undo some of the programs. Sometimes they can't even undo them."  
  
Duo grinned lopsidedly. "So she's a evil computer chick. Cool. Now, W- man, about your woman skills…."  
  
Wufei growled at him. "Shut up, baka. Hiiro wants us to see if we can trace the program to its sender. He wants to know who the hell is selling Relena those programs that she gives him."  
  
Duo shrugged and walked away. "How 'm I supposed to know? Ask Tsukino. Maybe she'd help you, with all your amazing charm. Now put that katana away, Wuffers…no, stay back now. Dude, stay away! Okay, I'm going to run away now. AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"  
  
  
  
Usagi stared out the window, still reveling in her newfound sight. But it kinda pissed her off that she had to stay on some lake in Nerima. Yep, it made her really mad. Really, really, really mad. She sighed and opened her pocket knife. Just out of pure boredom, she began tossing it around in the air. It did three flips, and she caught it neatly in her hand. She stared at it, and then began experimenting with different tricks. By the time more people began filing onto the bus, she had several cuts on her hands, but she had some pretty sweet tricks.  
  
"Hey, move."  
  
She looked up to see one of the cutest guys she had ever seen staring at her, waiting for her to pick up and move. Ha. Her, Tsukino Usagi, taking orders. Right. She dimpled at him, and put a hand on her bag, carefully displaying her knife.  
  
"Iie." She said sweetly.  
  
The guy blinked, and then laughed. "Well than at least let me sit by you."  
  
She dimpled even more. "That, I would gladly do. I don't bite. Well, not hard anyways."  
  
He laughed and slid into the seat beside her. "So, girl who doesn't bite, why are you here?"  
  
Usagi shrugged delicately. "I broke a few laws." She pouted. "Not too many, though."  
  
He laughed. "Sure. What's your name?"  
  
She lifted an eyebrow. "The name's Usagi. Who're you, and what are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm Nick. I'm from America, but my parents threw me into a boarding school here. I'm failing all my classes, and I've been in trouble with the law."  
  
"Same here," came a voice from behind them. "But I threw suicide into the mix, and attacking my boyfriend. Hey, take my advice. Don't go to asylums. They suck monkey's ass. Not fun at all. I was supposed to be declared mentally unstable, but they decided that I had an anger problem. So they sent me here. Loads of fun, huh?"  
  
The speaker was a girl. She had short, spiky black hair, black mascara, black clothes (mostly like everyone else), and had an awesome black dog collar around her neck. She stuck her hand over the seat.  
  
"I'm Lorraine. I'm originally from France, but my parents dumped me here too. Nice to meet you, Nick and Usagi. Oho! Who likes Green Day?"  
  
Usagi squealed. "Me! I do! I wanna be the minority! I don't need your authority! Down with the moral majority, 'cause I wanna be the minority!"  
  
Nick and Lorraine took it up from there. "I pledge allegiance to the underworld / one nation under dog / there of which I stand alone / a face in the crowd/ unsung, against the mold/ without a doubt/ singled out/ the only way I know!"  
  
All three of them started up the chorus. Others were joining in too. "I wanna be the minority/ I don't need your authority/ down with the moral majority/ cause I wanna be the minority!"  
  
The whole bus was singing now. Everyone opened their windows, and sang at the top of their lungs. Hopefully loud enough for the people in the other bus to hear.  
  
Quatre and Trowa looked up from their game of Go-Fish. Their bus was completely silent under Hiiro's glare. Quatre's father, Dr. Winner, looked out and sighed as he spotted Usagi's blonde hair among the black, green, blue, and whatever other colors there were in there. The kids in the bus listened closely, and then a few of them began grinning. Then they started singing, too.  
  
"Stepped out of the line/ like a sheep runs from the herd/ marching out of time/ to my own beat now/ the only way I know! One light, one mind/ flashing in the dark/ blinded by the silence of a thousand broken hearts/ "for crying out loud" she screamed unto me/ free for all/ fuck 'em all/ you are your own sight!"  
  
Quatre was bright red, and Hiiro and Wufei looked furious. Duo was just happy something was happening.  
  
Usagi began laughing as she heard the other bus start up. Her face was flushed, and her hair was coming out of the messy bun she set up. All three buses finished up the last part.  
  
"I WANNA BE THE MINORITY! I DON'T NEED YOUR AUTHORITY! DOWN WITH THE MORAL MAJORITY! 'CAUSE I WANNA BE THE MINORITY!"  
  
Everyone let out a huge cheer as they finished up. Then someone started "Basket Case" and they were all singing again.  
  
  
  
"Do you have the time/ to listen to me whine…."  
  
  
  
When they finally got to Nerima, where they were picking up their delinquents, Usagi was sound asleep. Ha! But she wasn't in any normal sleep, however….  
  
She was in the sleep of a girl that was using a hot guy's shoulder as a pillow. Great fun. Try it sometime. It does wonders for the complexion.  
  
Lorraine smirked and tapped Nick on the shoulder. He turned around with eyebrows raised.  
  
"What?"  
  
She pointed at the blonde girl. "Don't move, but Bunny's sleeping the sleep of a girl who's using a hot guy's shoulder as a pillow, Nick-kun."  
  
Nick laughed. "Did you think I didn't notice? Well, when I go to sleep tonight, I'm gonna sleep the sleep of a guy who's been used as a pillow by a hot chick."  
  
Lorraine laughed. "Lord, even guys have titles for sleeps? God, I didn't need to know that."  
  
Usagi stirred. Lorraine and Nick held their breaths. Nothing happened. Nick sighed in relief, and Lorraine giggled. Suddenly a hand shot up and whacked Lorraine on the head. A tousled blonde head popped over the seat.  
  
"Shut up, Lorraine! I was sleeping!"  
  
Lorraine screamed and fell backwards laughing. Usagi threw herself over the seat to tickle the screaming French girl. Lorraine screamed again, and Usagi shrieked back. Nick began hollering, and the boys in the back seat began to cheer.  
  
Then the bus driver began bellowing at them, conveniently forgetting that his walkie-talkie was still turned on.  
  
In the other bus, Dr. Winner held the walkie-talkie away from his ear. Duo was staring at the object looking like he wanted to burst out laughing. Quatre leaned over to his father.  
  
"Father, what's happening over there?"  
  
Dr. Winner's face was white. "I have no idea, but I'll bet you that it has something to do with Usagi."  
  
Duo threw his hand up. "Hey, Usagi's the chick that decked Wu-man!"  
  
"What is going on over there?" the elder Winner bellowed into the walkie- talkie.  
  
A young feminine voice replied. "Dr. Winner! Delightful to hear from you! Um, everything's fine! USAGI AND LORRAINE!!! SHUT UP FOR JUST A FREAKING SECOND!!!! Anyways. Yes, everything is under control."  
  
"Where is the bus driver?" His voice was strained.  
  
The girl giggled nervously. "Uh…would that be the guy wrestling in the back?"  
  
"Ma'am, stop the bus *right now*."  
  
"But~"  
  
"NOW!"  
  
"Okay, sir!"  
  
Five minutes later had the contents of the third bus in a line on the side of the road. Dr. Winner paced up and down the line; the picture of contained fury. Usagi followed him with her big blue eyes, assessing every move. Lord, she was so glad to have her sight back. If her senses were still correct, he should attack right…  
  
Now.  
  
"Who started this?"  
  
Her cue. She stepped out of line and almost smirked when his angry eyes blazed.  
  
"My fault." She paused for a long moment, and then added as an afterthought: "Sir."  
  
His voice was tight and controlled. "Ah. Tsukino. I should have known it was you. Explain."  
  
She smiled easily. "Certainly. I began tickling Lorraine after being cruelly deprived of a sleep, which by the way is really hard to come by. Then Nick and the others in the back began cheering. That's it…oh yeah. The bus driver gave control to Toki-kun, and then came back to break it up. Someone tackled him, and then…I think that's is." She stared up at the sky. Then she looked back at him and made eye contact.  
  
"Yeah, that's it."  
  
He linked his hands behind his back and stared at her. "So, since you are the problem, I will re-arrange the buses. Yui, over here in this bus. Lorraine, over in this bus. Usagi, you're in the Nerima bus. Bus #3."  
  
She glared at him and then stomped over to the bus. She shoved past the bus driver and walked all the way to the back of the bus. She stopped, glared at the boys in the back until someone moved. Then she sat down, nestled between a boy with a tiny braid, and another boy with an orange bandana. They looked up at her.  
  
"I'm Ranma."  
  
"I'm Ryoga," the bandana boy mumbled.  
  
"This bites." She declared.  
  
No one commented. She looked from side to side, and then blew her breath out loudly.  
  
"This is *so* boring! Doesn't anyone *talk* around here? Good Lord!"  
  
The braided boy finally looked up at her in disbelief. "Why are *you* so happy? We're going to a summer correctional camp! ON A LAKE!!!!"  
  
"On a lake," the other boy echoed desolately.  
  
Usagi groaned. "I'm on a bus with people who are ashamed of what they've done! Nick's not here! Lorraine's not here! I AM ALL ALONE AND NO ONE CARES!!!!"  
  
With that, she started bawling.  
  
The bus driver looked back and glared balefully at the sobbing blonde. He picked up his walkie-talkie, and pushed talk.  
  
"Dr. Winner, do you read me?"  
  
"…yes."  
  
"The Tokyo girl you dumped in here is throwing a temper tantrum. She wants to kill you…correction. Now she wants it, so it will be over with quickly. Wait, she's stopped. Over and out."  
  
He clicked the off button and moved his eyes back on the road.  
  
In the back of the bus…  
  
"Who likes Sum 41?"  
  
There were a chorus of "I do" s, and Usagi smiled. Time to get this bus pumped up!  
  
"ALL RIGHT! Here we go!"  
  
She opened her backpack and pulled out her portable CD player and speakers. She hooked the speakers to the player and put "All Killer No Filler" in. Then she clicked the skip button six times. The opening lines blared out of the speakers. Everyone turned around and stared at the grinning blonde, who let out a whoop and began to sing.  
  
"What's the difference of never knowing at all? When every step I take is always too small. Maybe it's something I can't admit but lately, I feel like I don't give a s**t."  
  
By now the depressed Nerima people were grinning, and a few were jumping up to sing along. She, Ranma, Ryoga, and a few other people took the next verse. Others opened the windows.  
  
"MOTIVATION SUCH AN AGGRAVATION, ACCUSATIONS DON'T KNOW HOW TO TAKE THEM! INSPIRATION'S GETTING HARD TO FAKE IT! CONCENTRATION'S NEVER HARD TO BRAKE IT! SITUATION'S NEVER WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE!"  
  
In Bus #2….  
  
Lorraine leaped up, screaming. Everyone stared at her. She gasped, took a deep breath, and shrieked again.  
  
"EVERYONE!!! MOTIVATION!!! ALL KILLER NO FILLER!"  
  
She ran to a window and yanked it down. "NICK!" she screamed.  
  
A window rolled down. Then every other one too. Nick's face appeared. He listened. Then he grinned.  
  
"HERE WE GO!" he hollered.  
  
"What's the point of never making mistakes? Self-indulgence is such a hard habit to break! It's all just a waste of time in the end! I don't care, so why should I even pretend?"  
  
All three buses yelled the chorus at the top of their lungs.  
  
"MOTIVATION SUCH AN AGGRAVATION, ACCUSATIONS DON'T KNOW HOW TO TAKE THEM! INSPIRATION'S GETTING HARD TO FAKE IT! CONCENTRATION'S NEVER HARD TO BRAKE IT! SITUATION'S NEVER WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE!"  
  
In the third bus, Usagi was having a blast. This…was absolutely amazing. She was having more fun on a damned bus ride to hell than she had ever had with Minako, Mamoru, or anyone. A guy threw an arm around her, and she laughed in the midst of their singing. She began bouncing up and down. The whole bus followed her example.  
  
"Nothing's new, everything's the same! It keeps on dragging me down, it's getting kind of lame. I'm falling further behind, there's nothing to explain. No matter what you say, nothing's gonna change my mind. Can't pretend on doubt until the end. It seems like leaving friends has become this year's trend and though I can't pretend. It's not the same but who's to blame for all those stupid I never said!"  
  
"MOTIVATION SUCH AN AGGRAVATION, ACCUSATIONS DON'T KNOW HOW TO TAKE THEM! INSPIRATION'S GETTING HARD TO FAKE IT! CONCENTRATION'S NEVER HARD TO BRAKE IT! SITUATION'S NEVER WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE!  
  
"MOTIVATION SUCH AND AGGRAVATION, ACCUSATIONS DON'T KNOW HOW TO TAKE THEM! INSPIRATION'S GETTING HARD TO FAKE IT! CONCENTRATION'S NEVER HARD TO BRAKE IT! SITUATION'S NEVER WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE!"  
  
"NEVER WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE!!! NEVER WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE!!"  
  
Everyone in all three buses let out a huge cheer, except for (of course) Dr. Winner, Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Hiiro.  
  
Needless to say, they were very glad to get to the camp. 


	2. Chapter Two

Good Riddance  
  
By: Crazy_gurl70  
  
The story of an unpredictable summer that changed a girl's life.  
  
Green trees put a pine sent into the air. The lake looked like a mirror laid across the land, reflecting the surrounding mountains and the blue, blue sky. Hundreds of different kinds of birds swooped through the air. All sorts of bugs crawled their way through life. Dry pine needles and twigs crunched and snapped beneath combat boots, sneakers, and heels. It was all very wonderful and exhilarating for a nature lover. It was like heaven on earth for a nature lover.  
  
Usagi was not a nature lover.  
  
"Aaaiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!"  
  
Nick and Ranma looked back at Usagi and Lorraine, who were both trying to stand on each other to get out of the path of the…spider… that stood in their path. Ranma seriously felt like laughing out loud, except for the fact that Usagi wouldn't hesitate to use her bobby pins to gouge his eyes out. So he tried to keep a straight face as he walked over to the two screaming girls. Ranma very calmly raised his foot….  
  
"Oh thank you Nick!" Lorraine and Usagi chorused.  
  
Ranma's head snapped up as he stared at Nick, whose arms were adorned with two girls. Nick hugged them both.  
  
"Don't be scared, girls. I wouldn't let that monster hurt you. Now why don't you go run up there and talk with some other girls?"  
  
Usagi nodded happily and dragged Lorraine away. Ranma rounded on the grinning Nick. Walking forward, he picked Nick up by the collar of his shirt.  
  
"What the hell did you do?"  
  
Nick laughed. "Ranma, you have a lot to learn. Lesson one in dealing with girls: never make them feel inferior. If I had killed that spider, they would have felt like they had gotten scared over nothing, and that we were pig headed snobs. It works way better to act like you saved them from the monster."  
  
Ranma thought back over all the times he had defeated a monster to save someone, and cringed. Maybe that was why Akane never…ah, but best not to think of that. Bad memories don't work. His ears perked up as he heard screams. He and Nick bolted up the hill, and stopped dead in their tracks. A burly man was holding a screaming Usagi's arms, and another one was holding another girl back. Nick shook himself out of his stupor and ran down. Ranma ran after him.  
  
"What happened?" he asked.  
  
Nick frowned. "I guess that this psycho chick mouthed off against the whole damn war, and Usagi flipped. Then the psycho chick told her that the whole war was pointless, that the Gundams should be killed, and that she was stupid for even defending them. I'd like to slap the psycho chick."  
  
"I'm going to," he growled as he moved towards the girl.  
  
Lorraine beat him to it.  
  
CRACK  
  
Everyone was silent. Lorraine's cheeks were red, and her purple eyes were furious. Behind her, tears were running down Usagi's face, and she was sobbing silently. Which was weird. She didn't miss a beat when told about Nick's dead parents.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you? Do not ever hurt Usagi EVER again, or I'm gonna screw everything those damned counselors taught me about anger management and kick your ass all the way to America, you hear?"  
  
"And if she misses," Ranma growled, "I won't."  
  
The girl looked up. "Ranma?"  
  
His eyes narrowed. "Akane Tendo."  
  
Her brown eyes went wide. "Pervert! What are you doing here? You followed me, huh? Get lost!"  
  
CRACK  
  
Usagi stood above the shocked Akane trembling in anger. She was still crying, but her eyes were even paler than before, and they were hot with fury.  
  
"First you mouth off against the Gundams. Okay, I'd grin and kick your ass. Then you insult me and my family. You're half dead now, if I had my way. THEN you go and call my friend a pervert for doing nothing but being here. Now you're dead."  
  
Usagi turned around and began walking away, taking Ranma, Nick, and Lorraine with her. Then she stopped and turned around.  
  
"I'd tell you to go to hell, but then I'd have to see you every day. So do me a favor will ya? When you impale yourself on a stick, make sure your soul's stuck on there too, 'cause there sure as hell isn't any way you're goin' to heaven."  
  
As they were walking down the path towards the mess hall, Usagi realized something. During that whole time, the men restraining Tendo had been completely silent.  
  
Weird.  
  
After a little while, Usagi turned to Ranma. "So…do you know the little psycho chick?"  
  
Ranma stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Yeah…I'm her fiancé. Unwillingly!" he added hurriedly, seeing their looks.  
  
Lorraine was chocking on her apple. "F-fiancé? As in like, engaged? To marry? Damn, I feel bad for you. What's the story behind that?"  
  
Ranma sighed, and looked up at the sky. "Well…."  
  
A half hour later they were standing with the other hundred odd teens in front of the mess hall. Ranma was just finishing up his story.  
  
"And so that's why I'm here."  
  
Usagi nodded, and tossed her decision around in the air. She tested the bonds that had formed between the four, and decided to go for it.  
  
"Okay, now for my whole cause and effect story. When I was fourteen, a talking cat came to me and told me I was Sailor Moon. I gathered all of the other eight senshi together, and we fought. Then my house caught on fire, and I was blinded. I was also the only one left alive from the fire. I sold a quarter of my soul to save my family. Then I went back to school after some intensive training, learning everything that everyone else did. My friends apparently didn't appreciate the fact that I was blind, because they stole my Crystal and picked a new Sailor Moon. My cousin or something. I went kind of…bad. I became embarrassingly good at creating computer programs and viruses, and I started selling them to Miss Psycho Bitch Relena. I guess she gave them to her Gundams, who used them in the war. Then a few days ago, a demon came to me and offered my sight back in exchange for another quarter of my soul. Damn, take my advice. Losing half of your soul sucks. It hurts like hell. But that's my story."  
  
Lorraine giggled. Usagi shot her a glare. "Are you mocking me?"  
  
The black haired girl laughed. "No, no, I believe you. I just can't picture you in that short skirt! God Almighty…what a sight. What a sight!"  
  
"Shut up, Lorra-baka."  
  
Nick looked like he was chocking. His face was an unbecoming shade of purple. "Bunny's…Sailor Moon!"  
  
She punched him playfully. "No, I'm not. Liko Mia is. Now. What was that you called me?"  
  
He grinned down at her with those playful green eyes. "Bunny. Usagi equals Bunny. Your new name is Bunny. Lorraine is obviously Lorra. Ranma's been dubbed "Ran-kun" and I'm just Nick."  
  
He pouted. "I feel left out."  
  
Usagi laughed, and was about to say something when someone roared. All hundred some teens froze and looked up at the entry to the wooden hall.  
  
Before them was a muscular man in camouflage pants, combat boots, and a white tank-top. He was also slapping his palm with a whip.  
  
Yikes.  
  
His glare swept across the crowd. Everyone seemed to shrivel. Usagi didn't, though. She was way too accustomed to vile glares to shrink now. Anyways, they were supposed to be the psycho punks. Why should they be scared of another punk with a whip?  
  
The other boy that she sat next to on the bus, Ryoga, sent her a look that said it all. Because they didn't have a whip.  
  
It was like Scary Movie all over again…except…sort of…not.  
  
"Do you know why you're here?" he asked softly.  
  
A boy in the middle somewhere sniggered. The man jumped into the crowd, and walked right towards the snigger. Within seconds he had a boy by the neck and was hauling him up to the front.  
  
"Do you know why you're here?" he bellowed at the boy.  
  
"Huh huh huh…yup."  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Uh…I said "Yeah""  
  
"No, you said "Yes sir", didn't you?"  
  
"No. I mean, yeah. I mean, yes sir."  
  
"Right. NOW LISTEN UP YOU WORTHLESS PUNKS! DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU'RE HERE?"  
  
Okay, Usagi decided, this guy was really scaring her. God, he was so going to have a heart attack if he kept on screaming like that. She winced when everyone muttered "no sir" out of synch. Yuck. If they were going to suck up, they might as well do it right.  
  
His eyes scanned the crowd, assessing, weighing, and casting aside. "No, I don't think you do," he whispered.  
  
For some insane reason, Usagi would have felt better if he had just yelled at them. The whispering freaked her out, seriously. It was like he knew something that they didn't , and that thing that he knew would decide their fates.  
  
Her face took on a cute stubborn look. She, Tsukino Usagi, the girl that defied countless prophecies, did not believe in fate. How could she really, when everyone (including the goddess of the moon) told her that she would go on to be Neo-Queen Serenity, create a golden utopia, and rule the universe? Lord, it might not have even happened. Maybe she had taken a hallucinogen or something. Eh, but that wouldn't explain the glares from the girls. Maybe she had taken that drug that causes amnesia…what was it called? She went back to those harrowing days in 8th grade Heath, trying to pass notes with Minako without the evil teacher noticing….oh yeah. Rohypnol. (sp) But wasn't that a designer drug…ack. Usagi strained her memory, trying to remember those trying days at the drug stations…. Then she looked down and frowned. Was that what she thought it was? If so….  
  
Suddenly she was spun around and hauled into the air. She tilted her head up to look into the mean, brown eyes of the Mr. Screamer. Usagi wriggled a bit, and then grabbed his hands (which were holding her up by the shirt like that other dude).  
  
"You know, this would all be very scary and all, except for the fact that THERE IS A SPIDER ON MY LEG!" she screamed.  
  
She then attempted the life-saving technique of climbing up the person closest to you. Unfortunately this attempt failed due to the fact that the mean man wasn't being very obliging. In fact, his face wrinkled in disgust and he threw her to the ground, She landed with a thump.  
  
"STOP SCREAMING!" he roared.  
  
Usagi growled at him and jumped up. "Who the fuck do you think you are?" she yelled.  
  
He took a step closer. "Thought you'd never ask, brat. I'm Drill Sergeant Kane, and you are…?"  
  
Usagi shoved her face right up to his. "None of your business."  
  
He smiled, and she faltered for the first time. What kind of nutcase smiled when he was angry? 'A very, very whacked nutcase,' her mind told her smugly as it prepared for the blow.  
  
When it came, she dropped and rolled. Usagi rose into a crouch and stared at him. He stared back at her, and then straightened. Then he smiled, turned back around, and walked back up to his special speaker place. Usagi stared after him.  
  
What the hell had just happened? She rewound in her mind and replayed it. She insulted, he attacked, she dodged, and he left. Okay, what the hell had she missed?  
  
Someone tapped her on the shoulder. Usagi frowned, but didn't turn around.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Humph. You're nice. But what was the deal with Kane?"  
  
"If I knew, I'd tell you loudly and clearly."  
  
"I'm Bleac."  
  
Usagi sighed, and turned around. Obviously the girl wasn't going to leave her alone. Her sights were instantly assailed with a blend of colors. The girl's hair was red with streaks of auburn, blonde, and blue. Her eyes were a bright gray, and her clothes were all black. The clothes should have made her look like a punk, but it only served to make her look like her head was on fire. Which might have been the intent. But here was what Usagi liked the most: her shirt said "Warning- Contents may explode at any time. Stay away."  
  
Usagi grinned and stuck her hand out. "'sup? The name's Bunny. You've got an accent. Where're you from?"  
  
The girl stared at her hand, and decided to ignore it. "I'm an Irish reject."  
  
Usagi grinned. There were lots of fun people here. "What did you do?"  
  
Bleac shrugged. "Nothing much. Actually, I can't even remember. But I'm sure it was something pretty bad, because I come from a long line of criminals, and none except me have gone to this camp. It's legendary, you know."  
  
Legendary? Uh-oh. This was sounding worse and worse. Usagi decided that she didn't want to know why this camp was legendary. Luckily (or not) she was saved by Kane breaking in again.  
  
"DO YOU KNOW WHY YOU'RE HERE?"  
  
"Nope…sir…" a few people mumbled.  
  
Kane sneered at them. "BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS YOU! YOU MAY KNOW THIS CAMP, BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THE WORST OF THE WORST GO! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR PARENTS SIGNED A RELEASE FORM, GIVING US COMPLETE CONTROL OVER YOU! NOW, BEFORE YOU GET ALL COZY, HERE ARE YOUR GROUPS!"  
  
He scowled at them, and began calling out names. Usagi sighed and turned back to Bleac. She was so fucking bored that it wasn't even funny. Usagi was about to comment on the fact that Kane's face was getting redder when Nick, Ranma, and Lorraine appeared.  
  
"There you are," Lorraine squealed as she glomped Usagi.  
  
"Ack! Lorra…I can't…fucking…breathe!"  
  
Lorraine let go of Usagi and stuck her had behind her head. "Whoops! Sorry, Bunny. So who's Pyro here?"  
  
Bleac glared at her. "I'm Bleac, and why did you call me Pyro?"  
  
Lorraine shrugged. "'Cause your hair reminded me of this girl that lit herself on fire. She liked fire. Red hair, fire girl, fire, pyro. See?"  
  
Bleac sweatdropped. "Erm, not really. Oh, there Usagi, he called out your name."  
  
"GROUP TEN!" he was bellowing.  
  
"USAGI TSUKINO!! BLEAC JONES! LORRAINE DUPONT! NICK BAKER! RANMA SAOTOME! SON GOTEN!! TRUNKS BRIEFS!! SHIRO TSUZUMI! LESLIE MONTGOMERY! YOU'RE WITH JAMES ANTOINE! NOW HAUL ASS AND GET YOU YOUR GROUPS!"  
  
Usagi and Lorraine looked at each other and shrugged. "What the hell?" they both muttered as they trudged off in the direction of the smiling man.  
  
When she, Lorraine, Bleac, Nick, Ranma, and the other chick reached him, he smiled. It was a happy smile. It was a kind smile. Not the kind of smile you would expect in a camp like this one.  
  
"Welcome kids! I'm adult in charge of group ten, and would like to tell you our rules. We have been the number one group for over one hundred years, and if you break our record, I will personally skin you apart piece by piece. Oh, but you won't be dead yet. I can work magic to keep you from dying. Then after your skin has been separated from your body, I will pour salt on you. Then I will feed you to the demons I keep under my bed. So basically I have no rules or expectations except for that you do outstandingly on your daily exercises, and that we win first place again. Now come along, and I'll show you the cabins!"  
  
The smile was quite obviously the smile of a psychotic homosexual that liked to torture people.  
  
Oh. My. God.  
  
Inside Cabin 10  
  
Girl's Side:  
  
Usagi threw her bags down on a bed and stared at the room. There were ten beds, five on each side. There was a large blue curtain in the middle of the room, apparently separating boys from girls. Each bed had a nightstand and a dresser. It was kind of like a big house. There were two bathrooms, again, one for guys, and one for girls. We aren't talking half-bathrooms either. We're talking big bathrooms. Like as in full sink, toilet, shower, and bath. Complete with towels, rugs, and a cute little medicine cabinet.  
  
Lorraine dropped her three suitcases on a bed next to Usagi and touched the bed.  
  
"Bunny, we're talking quilts and nice, nice sheets. Damn! This is better living then I've ever had!"  
  
Bleac set her stuff down on Usagi's other side. She looked around, opened her case, and began unpacking with a gusto that made Lorraine and Usagi stare. They exchanged a look, and set about to unpacking their ten million things. Sullenly.  
  
Suddenly Usagi shrieked, and everyone stared at her. The hyperactive blonde spun around and pointed at the girl with long, straight black hair.  
  
"You're Shiro Tsuzumi!"  
  
The girl glared at her. "No shit."  
  
Usagi began waving her hands. "No, I mean you're THE supermodel Shiro Tsuzumi! What are you doing here?"  
  
Tsuzumi took a knife out of her backpack and slammed the blade into the wall. She stood facing the wall for a moment, and then turned halfway around.  
  
"I'm a good aim."  
  
Usagi's eyes narrowed. No way any stuck up supermodel bitch was going to scare her. She calmly moved over to her backpack and took out *her* knife. She fondled it for a moment, and then without warning, spun and threw it at Tsuzumi. The girl ducked, of course, and then rounded on Usagi with furious magenta eyes.  
  
"What the fuck are you thinking, you bitch?"  
  
The small blonde shrugged and continued unpacking. "I've a good aim too."  
  
Tsuzumi turned, and froze. Then ice began to creep into her eyes.  
  
Usagi's knife was imbedded in the wall a hair's breadth away from her own. Tsuzumi flipped her maroon streaked hair over her shoulder, covering up any feelings she might have.  
  
"You don't scare me, Tsukino."  
  
Usagi turned around and smiled at her with mocking blue eyes. "Why Shiro, I didn't think that you could hide feelings that well. And who says I'm trying to scare you? If I had been trying to scare you, you'd have a pretty cut along your cheek. Not enough to hurt terribly bad, but enough to make you remember. But I've head that bayonets are better for that sort of thing."  
  
Bleac whirled around to face them. "But Bunny, the best are the play swords they have in fencing class. Pop the ball on the end off, sharpen it a little, and you can do some damage."  
  
She cocked her head and smiled a little dreamily. "The eyes are the most fun…or the balls…or…I haven't finished packing! DIRT!!!!"  
  
Bleac rushed off to her dresser, yanked out a rag and some cleanser, and instantly began to scour her dresser. Then she removed some pictures, placed them on her nightstand, and spent the next fifteen minutes getting them into the perfect position. The room was totally silent as everyone stared at her. She smiled, rocked back on her heels, and looked up at them.  
  
"What?"  
  
The other girl, the Canadian, cleared her throat. "Um, hey, Bleac. Are you by any chance a perfectionist?"  
  
Cabin 10  
  
Boy's Side:  
  
Nick stared at everyone as they shoved their stuff under their beds and sat down. He blinked at the only free bed, and then moved to the corner. The guy with spiky black hair laughed.  
  
"Dude, you gonna put your stuff down?"  
  
Nick shrugged. "Nah. I've got a hammock."  
  
He trudged over to his corner and began meticulously hanging his bed. After that was hung, he went back to his backpack and took out several posters of punk rock bands and tacked them to the wall. Then he dragged his nightstand under his hammock and turned the lamp upside down. He took out a thin red cloth and laid it over the lamp, instantly turning his corner red. He moved his suitcase into position under his hammock and then took a step back to view his work. He nodded once, and then turned around.  
  
"So how's life?"  
  
The purple haired boy cleared his throat. "Uh, it sucks ass. I mean, we have to spend our summer in a fucking correctional camp."  
  
The black spiky boy punched him. "Aw, it won't be that bad!"  
  
The first glared at him. "Could that be because you're on crack again? By the way, I'm Trunks, and this moron is Goten."  
  
Goten shrugged. "Nope, I'm clean. Pop beat that into me anyways. Dude, the bus ride was awesome. How the hell did that happen? I usually hate buses."  
  
Ranma laughed. "That was all Usagi. She's got this thing for Green Day, Sum 41, and Blink 182. The girl brought these huge stereos that she hooks up to her portable CD player. Damn, she's got this huge ass thing of CDs that she cranks out like hell. It's cool."  
  
Goten grinned. "Is she hot?"  
  
Ranma glanced at the curtain, and lowered his voice. "Hell yeah."  
  
Nick voiced his opinion. "I would love to get a camera in *her* room."  
  
Trunks got this evil look. "A camera, eh? I can help you, my vile friends."  
  
He reached under his bed and pulled his backpack into his lap. He unzipped it and rummaged around in it for a while before triumphantly pulling out a camera. He gazed at it fondly, before holding it out to the others.  
  
"I was thinking about making a movie. You know, like "My Summer in Hell: Life at Correctional Camp". I've got two, so one 'll be clean, and the other one will be like "Summer in Hell: Porn Version." Think it'll sell?"  
  
Nick laughed and slapped him on the back. "Even if it did, your debut would be short-lived. Usagi would kill you before you could do a damned thing with the cash."  
  
Trunks looked surprised. "Would she really?"  
  
There was suddenly a thump from the other side of the wall. The boys fell silent, waiting. Then came the inevitable scream.  
  
"SHIRO GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE WITH MY KNIFE BEFORE I APPLY MY BOOT TO YOUR UGLY ASS!"  
  
"GET THE F*** AWAY FROM ME TSUKINO!!!!"  
  
Then came the crash, and the sound of crazed maniacs on PMS taking their problem outside. Nick turned back to Trunks and nodded.  
  
"Yep, she'd kill you."  
  
Then Lorraine came through the curtain, utterly disregarding the state of her undress and waved at them.  
  
"Hey boys! Bunny and Shiro have decided that they want to go swimming instead of try to kill each other, thank God. So you wanna come?"  
  
Everyone was about to voice their opinions when Nick held up a hand.  
  
"Wait."  
  
Everyone stared at him. Nick grinned.  
  
"What is Bunny wearing?"  
  
Lorraine ginned. "You're a pervert, Nicky! It's a red itsy bitsy bikini."  
  
Then she winked and left them to dress. They waited until the door slammed closed before cheering.  
  
Counselor's Cabin:  
  
Dr. Winner smiled at Relena. "Thank you very much for sponsoring this camp, Your Majesty. It means a lot to me that I can help make a change in someone's life."  
  
Relena smiled graciously. "It is my pleasure, Dr. Winner. I, too, have a dream of making a difference in someone's life."  
  
Her eyes flicked briefly at Hiiro before turning back to the doctor. "I wish you all luck with your project. Now, I would like a word with the Gundam boys."  
  
Dr. Winner bowed and withdrew, leaving Relena to talk with Hiiro, Duo, Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa. Relena kept on smiling until everyone was gone. Then her smile was replaced quickly by a worried frown.  
  
"Hiiro, our source has disappeared. He was to send me a disk that I was going to give to you. His programs are amazing, as I'm sure you know, and they are vital to our missions. Hiiro, report on his location."  
  
His cold eyes bored into hers. "I tracked the signal to a computer at the school where Dr. Winner is."  
  
Relena frowned, and then turned to Duo, who was arguing softly with Wufei. "Duo, get Dr. Winner."  
  
Seconds later a confused principal was ushered into the room by a grinning Duo. Relena smiled. She knew they would get nowhere unless she asked.  
  
"Why are you smiling, Duo?"  
  
He cracked up. "'Cause one of the spies they have at every cabin just came running in yelling that Shiro Tsuzumi had threatened him with a knife while the computer chick Tsukino Usagi fed him some kind of powder through… by…er…" Duo faltered, and then flushed. "Well, that doesn't matter. But they're gone! All nine from group ten!"  
  
Relena sighed and massaged her temples. "I don't know why this is so amusing to you. We have much more pressing matters to attend to. Now Dr. Winner. We need you to tell us something."  
  
He nodded. "Of course. What would you like to know?"  
  
Quatre broke in. "Father, is there anyone at your school capable of creating viruses and computer programs?"  
  
Dr. Winner looked thoughtful. "Well, yes. Two very different girls. One is Mizuno Ami, I'm sure you've heard of her, who is a wonderful, sweet girl. She's won several prizes for various accomplishments…."  
  
"And the other?" Relena prompted.  
  
He sighed. "The other is Tsukino Usagi, who is one of the people in Group 10. She's broken several laws concerning computers and has been downloading things onto disks. We searched her locker and found several disks. Every single one had a name, and then a number. We couldn't break into them. They were locked."  
  
Relena smiled grimly. "Was the word "Orion"?"  
  
He looked surprised. "Hai, it was. How did you know?"  
  
"Because I was buying those illegal disks from her, Dr. Winner. Boys, bring her in."  
  
The Lake:  
  
Usagi, Bleac, and Lorraine ran through the woods laughing. The boy's feet thumped rapidly on the ground behind them as they tried to catch the shrieking girls. Lexie and Shiro were just walking calmly behind everyone else. Usagi increased speed and looked back at the boys who were quickly gaining ground. As a result of her lack of attention on the path, she tripped.  
  
"Aiiiee!"  
  
THUMP  
  
Usagi sat there on the ground, rubbing her sore bottom and scowling. She shoved her hair behind her ears and glared up at Lorraine and Bleac who weren't even looking at her. They were both staring up at something behind her.  
  
"U-Usagi…." Bleac stuttered.  
  
Nick, Ranma, Goten, and Trunks burst into the clearing and skidded to a stop. Nick's eyes went wide, and he backed up a step.  
  
"Oh my god…."  
  
Usagi stared at all of them in confusion, and then twisted around to see what was making them all freak out. She saw something green. Then she looked up…and up…and up…and nearly fainted. Her jaw dropped and she seriously felt like murdering something.  
  
It was a youma. A big youma. A really big youma. Usagi began inching backwards, slowly, so that maybe the monster wouldn't notice. Usagi had never seen a youma like this, not in all her many years as Sailor Moon. This one looked like a big dragon. Its eyes were fiery, black shiny stones with a glowing, fiery core. Its fangs were long. Long enough to do lots of damage. The dragon youma thing had red ridges along its spine, and a nasty looking barb at the end of its tail.  
  
It exhaled, and tiny flames licked the air. "I smell a demon…." It hissed.  
  
Usagi smiled in relief. "Well, then you still have a ways to go. Shiro Tsuzumi is still a while back."  
  
"Very funny, Tsukino, but I think the good dragon is referring to you."  
  
Usagi leaped up and spun around. "That's ridiculous! If anyone's a demon, it's you!"  
  
"I WILL PURGE THE WORLD OF DEMONS!" the dragon roared.  
  
Usagi felt the dragon's jaws coming toward her, fangs glistening. She spun, screamed, and flung out a hand in futile protest. The dragon roared, and then there was a thump. Then everything was silent.  
  
Usagi waited for the inevitable feeling of those mean jaws closing around her. I never even lost my virginity! She thought angrily. But nothing happened. One eye opened. It couldn't believe what it was seeing, so the other eye creaked open. Usagi then stared openly. Her brain began to do all sorts of acrobatics, but her feet carried her over to the dragon's body, which was laying on the ground. She inched closer and then nudged it with her foot. The body suddenly erupted in a column of fire, making Usagi jump back and shield her eyes. Then the heat was gone, and she opened her eyes again. Where the dragon was, there was only a pile of ashes. Then something shiny caught her eyes. Actually, two shiny somethings caught her eyes. She frowned and walked through the ashes to see what they were.  
  
Usagi knelt, and brushed the ashes away with her hand. There, nestled in neatly among the burnt remains of the dragon, were two stones. Was it okay to take them? Sailor Moon was telling her to leave them well alone. Of course, her personal demon was begging her to take them. So she shrugged, and picked them up. Usagi rolled them around in her palm, and then froze.  
  
The stones were buzzing. They began to tremble, and rock in her hand. She was starting to get freaked out. Then each stone hurtled into a wrist. Her face twisted in pain, but then she felt a surge of unexplainable heat. She sat there for about three seconds, reveling in the feeling surging through her body, and then stood up.  
  
Her eyes narrowed, and she turned around to face the rest.  
  
"Guys, what the hell happened?"  
  
Lorraine smiled brightly. "Not a lot! The thing was about to eat you, and this AWESOME beam shot out of your hand and absolutely FRIED it! It was so FUCKING cool! Bunny's a demon killer!" Lorraine sang as she danced over to hug Usagi.  
  
Usagi and Tsuzumi's eyes met, and they exchanged thoughts without a word. Bunny was a demon killer?  
  
Neither of them was so sure.  
  
"We're not going to find them," Wufei informed the rest as he leaned against a slightly crooked tree.  
  
They had been wandering through the forest for about an hour, and they hadn't found anything to do with the nine missing teens. In fact, Trowa even had a strong suspicion that they were lost.  
  
He had seen that damned tree three times now.  
  
Duo, however, was much more optimistic.  
  
"Sure we'll find them! They're going to the lake! So all we have to do is find the trail to the lake, and we've got it made!"  
  
Quatre smiled hopefully. "I hope you're right, Duo. My feet are getting tired."  
  
Duo began singing a happy tune, and marched off in a random direction. Wufei and Hiiro traded a look, and they both sighed. Quatre simply walked after Duo with Trowa in tow.  
  
When they finally caught up with Duo, they almost ran into him. He was standing there, looking confused. Wufei rolled his eyes.  
  
"What's wrong, did a squirrel beat you in a debate?"  
  
Duo shook his head, ignoring the barb. "No…Wufei, what leaves behind a pile of ashes?"  
  
He snorted. "A fire, of course. Is that all? Now let's get moving."  
  
Duo shook his head again. "But what leaves behind fresh ashes, but didn't burn the grass beneath?"  
  
Wufei stared at him. "Impossible."  
  
"See for yourself."  
  
Wufei shoved him aside and knelt by the ashes. Duo was right. They were fresh. Left within the last five minutes. He scooped up a handful and sniffed them. Not left by a fire, however. The ashes smelt of cinnamon and roses. Not quite how ashes left by fire would smell. He brushed some of the ashes aside and was shocked again. Green grass showed clearly beneath the ashes. Even if they had fallen from the sky, the heat would have at least done some damage. So what the hell had happened?  
  
Quatre volunteered his opinion. "Well, I can't get much, but I'm getting an unimaginable anger from this spot here," he was standing in the ashes. Then he moved over to a position about ten feet from the ashes.  
  
"I'm getting confusion and fright from here, and also anger. But it's directed at whatever was there, and at someone that was standing," he jumped to a spot five feet behind the last spot and to the right, "here. This person was feeling rage and concern at that last person. Everyone else was feeling horror, shock, and fear. Except this person, who was feeling excited and happy."  
  
(a little picture of chibi Lorraine pops up and yells "that was so cool!")  
  
Duo sweatdropped. "You got all of that, Q-man?"  
  
Quatre blushed and nodded. "Hai. They went this way. Happy. Nine people."  
  
Then he took off down the trail, with everyone staring after him. Since when was Quatre a champion tracker? Trowa just smiled and sprinted down the dirt road after his blonde companion, and Hiiro followed quickly. Wufei and Duo just stared after them.  
  
"Since when?" Duo suddenly demanded.  
  
"Since now." Wufei retorted as he took off after the retreating Gundams.  
  
Duo whooped and sped down the trail, yelling at the top of his lungs.  
  
"WAIT FOR ME!!!!"  
  
"I'll never surrender!" Lorraine screamed at Goten. She screamed again and tried to shield herself from the attack. No such luck.  
  
"I'm all wet!" she wailed. Suddenly she was knocked off her feet as Usagi tackled her, sending them both crashing into the water.  
  
"COLD!" Lorraine screamed. "WET!" a second later.  
  
Usagi laughed. "Lakes are usually wet, Lorra-chan! Uh…Lorra-chan?"  
  
Lorraine turned and advanced slowly on the sweating Usagi. "You're gonna get it…."  
  
"Uh-oh. Lorra? LORRA!!!!"  
  
Lorraine dumped the bucket of water over the blonde's head, making her scream loudly. Usagi began to splash her friend frantically, and Lorraine, of course, retaliated. This kept on for about five minutes, until the boys got bored of being ignored.  
  
"CANNONBALL!"  
  
Usagi and Lorraine screamed in terror and tried to throw themselves out of the way. Once again, their attempts at survival failed. Trunks crashed down right in between them. Suddenly a body threw itself at Usagi, sending her squealing into the water.  
  
Nick came up laughing, and Usagi surfaced, glaring at him. "I'll get you, Nick!"  
  
He smirked. "I hope so!"  
  
She giggled and then widened her eyes.  
  
"OH MY GOD!!! THE DRAGON'S BACK!"  
  
Nick totally freaked and spun around, eyes searching frantically for the beast.  
  
"Gotcha!" Usagi yelled as she leaped onto his back.  
  
Nick stumbled forward, and tried to ignore the fact that Usagi's long legs were wrapped around his middle. Her arms snaked around his neck as she held onto the flailing teen.  
  
Trunks and Lorraine saw this, and grinned at each other. She vaulted onto his back and held on tight. The purple wonder raced forward and rammed into the Usagi-Nick pillar. Usagi screeched, and began dumping water on Lorraine's head in a panic. Lorraine let out her battle cry, and began emptying her own bucket over the blonde's head.  
  
It was all great fun until they heard the click of a gun.  
  
"Omae o korosu."  
  
"Hiiro, we're not going to kill them."  
  
Usagi and Lorraine looked up at the hot guy holding the gun. They looked at each other, hung onto their guys even tighter, and began to cry. This raised the attention of Ranma and Goten. The other three girls also trooped over to see what was going on. What they saw was not what they expected. There were five strange boys on the dock, and one of them was pointing a gun at Lorraine and Usagi, who were crying loudly.  
  
Mr. Trigger-Happy scowled at the two. "Which one of you is Tsukino Usagi?"  
  
Usagi swallowed her tears and answered. "I am. Are you---are you going to—kill me?"  
  
The one with the braid scowled at Mr. Trigger-Happy. "No, we're not. Are we, Hiiro?"  
  
Usagi smiled in relief. "Well in that case, why don't you come play with us?"  
  
The braided one hooted. "I'd love to! But," he said hurriedly as the barrel of the gun turned to him, "we have to take you to Relena."  
  
Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"  
  
The blonde spoke up. "Just come with us, so we don't have to hurt you."  
  
Usagi slid off Nick's back. "Well if I come, you can't hurt anyone else."  
  
The trigger happy one grunted. The braided one smiled at her. "That means "yes" in Hiiro language."  
  
Five minutes later she and Lorraine were being marched down the path with their own entourage of hot guys. They were walking in the center of the five boys, and Lorraine was feeling very claustrophobic.  
  
"Usagi," she hissed, "remind me why I'm here."  
  
Usagi glanced at her. "I haven't the slightest idea. Maybe you shouldn't have punched the Chinese one. Fun though, hmm?"  
  
Lorraine giggled. "Hell yeah. I love beating on chauvinistic jackasses."  
  
They continued on in silence until they reached one of the cabins. It was the fourth one they'd passed, so that meant it must be Cabin Six. She and her dark friend looked at each other, nodded, and began screaming at the top of their lungs. The boys froze and drew their guns mechanically. Their screams escalated, and they made a mad dash for the playground.  
  
Hirro cursed and set out after Usagi. Duo and Wufei followed him, and Trowa and Quatre went after Lorraine.  
  
Usagi ran over to the playground without thinking. Playgrounds were generally where she and Chibiusa would play, so it was like second-nature to run to it. As she got closer she noticed that the playground looked a bit weird. Like, there were no slides. Or swings. Oh well, they had rope ladders, those fun walls to climb, monkey bars, and balance beams. Good enough.  
  
Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.  
  
God, that Hiiro was *fast*. But she was confident that she was faster. After all, all that training as Sailor Moon couldn't have been for nothing. Youmas were fast, and she had to run about a mile to school every morning anyways. So she was fast, too. Usagi threw herself at the rope ladder and scrambled up. Then she leaped at the rope, swung across a pit, landed on a balance beam, and kept running. After the balance beam she hit a rock wall.  
  
"What kind of screwed up playground *is* this?" she yelled.  
  
"Omae o korosu."  
  
She spun, and found herself looking into the barrel of a gun. Damn, she was beginning to memorize what the fucking thing looked like. But she was caught. She threw her arms up and smiled sweetly.  
  
"Why hello there! Fancy seeing you here!"  
  
Then Wufei and Duo caught up with them. Duo looked at her, and then at Hiiro's emotionless face.  
  
"Bunny, you're in trouble now."  
  
She sighed desolately. "When am I not in trouble?"  
  
When they had finally rounded up both Lorraine and Usagi, they marched right past the six other cabins, past the mess hall, past the nurses' office ("Thank God," Usagi murmured thankfully) and right to the main office. Lorraine was left in the care of three armed guards, and Usagi was taken further into the building.  
  
Usagi was shoved though a door, which was locked behind them. Trowa and Wufei took up posts beside the door, and looked imposing. Hiiro moved into the shadows, and Quatre went over to a man she didn't know. Duo stayed right beside her.  
  
The lights were suddenly turned on, and Usagi shaded her eyes against the light.  
  
"Tsukino, you have quite a lot to explain," came a familiar voice. Ugh. Dr. Winner.  
  
She smiled sweetly at the man she never wanted to see. "I thought we made it clear that I never wanted to see you, my dear principal."  
  
Dr. Winner smiled tightly. "I'm afraid that can't be helped, Tsukino. Now, let's begin. You were blind when I told you that you were going to this camp. You can very obviously see now. What happened?"  
  
Usagi shrugged. "I sold another quarter of my soul."  
  
"'Another" quarter of your soul? What did you sell the first part for?"  
  
"My whole family died in that fire, Dr. Winner. They are now very obviously alive and bitching. What do you think?"  
  
"I see. Now, why did you not tell us that you were selling your viruses to Queen Relena?"  
  
Usagi looked at him in contempt. "Duh. I didn't want the media crawling all over me."  
  
He nodded. "A very wise course. What did you do with the money? You could have saved it, and then gotten laser surgery for your eyes."  
  
She snorted. "That's stupid. Laser surgery makes you wear glasses again anyways. And I haven't spent it. I've been saving it up."  
  
"For what, may I ask?"  
  
"Sure, go ahead."  
  
Silence. Then an embarrassed cough. "Of course. What are you planning to do with it?"  
  
"I'm going to use that money to get the hell out of Japan."  
  
"Bad memories?"  
  
"You'd know."  
  
Dr. Winner nodded. Then he turned to speak into a walkie-talkie. He spoke to softly for her to hear the words spoken. Then everyone seemed to have something to do, so she just stood there, bored as hell. She looked around the room. The walls were white, and it had one small window. There was a table, the kind you'd see in a lunch room. A few plastic chairs were scattered around the room. The carpet was gray.  
  
In a word, the room was blah.  
  
The door suddenly flew open, and Usagi spun around. A girl about her age swept into the room. Her eyes went instantly to Usagi, and they locked eyes. The newcomer smiled and tossed sandy hair over her shoulder.  
  
"I'm Relena Peacecraft. Pleased to meet you."  
  
Usagi's retort was immediate. "No you're not."  
  
Relena's smile stayed put. "Of course I am. Now please, sit down. We have a few things to discuss."  
  
That was when Usagi got the distinct feeling that what went down in this room would decide her life, happiness, and whether she lived to be thirty, which she was damn well set on doing.  
  
And she didn't like that feeling. Not at all.  
  
****************  
  
Okay, I'd like to thank EVERYONE for reviewing my fic! I feel so loved sometimes! *cough* Well anyways, I guess I should say all the disclaimer things. *clears throat*  
  
Hear ye, hear ye! I don't own Sailor Moon, Ranma, or Gundam Wing! *begins to cry* And it's so sad…. OH WELL!!! Remember! Lots of reviews equals happy me! 


	3. Chapter Three

Good Riddance  
  
Chapter Three  
  
  
  
"Ah…"  
  
"Just say it!"  
  
"But---"  
  
"NO BUTS!"  
  
Lorraine glared at Trunks and put her hands on her hips. He was such a blockhead!  
  
"Trunks! Can you hear the words that are coming out of my mouth? USAGI IS ASLEEP!"  
  
He blinked, and looked closely at the blonde girl sitting in the chair. Actually, she was sort of…propped in the chair. And was falling out. Lorraine and Trunks watched silently as the blonde leaned to the right and fell off of the chair with a terrific thump. Her eyes popped open and she stared up at the ceiling of the cabin.  
  
"Ugh…"  
  
Goten groaned and lowered the camera. "Good grief! Would you stop falling asleep? Trunk's dad made it very clear that he wanted a detailed account of Trunk's summer! Usagi! Wake up!"  
  
She sat up and glared at them. "I am awake! Now, if your want a really good report, give us the camera."  
  
Goten looked at her warily. Then he thought back to last night. She came in, tripped over the door frame, broke a lamp, apologized profusely, fell asleep standing up, hit her head, and almost knocked out Nick. Of course he was going to give the camera to her.  
  
"No."  
  
Usagi's face fell. "Why not?"  
  
"Because you'd kill it."  
  
"Would not! Now, give the camera to me before I kick your butt all the freaking way to China."  
  
Goten handed her the camera without another word. Usagi squealed, and turned the camera so that it was facing her. She beamed into the lens, and then looked at Trunks.  
  
"Trunks, what's your dad's name? And your mom, too. Any siblings?"  
  
She pointed the camera at him. He gulped, and nodded. "Yeah…Dad is Vegeta, Mom is Bulma, and I have a sister, Bra."  
  
Usagi turned the camera back to her. "Fascinating. Anyways! Hi Trunks' family! I'm Tsukino Usagi, his very best friend with privileges!"  
  
She smiled evilly at Trunks, who was looking like he wanted to die. She turned the camera on him. Trunks moaned, and buried his face in his arms.  
  
"Tsk tsk tsk. Mrs. Bulma, you raised a very moral son. Look! He is overcome with shame at his recent activities! Oh, poor Trunks….he just can't admit his feelings. We're really very much in love."  
  
"USAGI, GIVE ME THAT CAMERA!"  
  
"See? We share everything."  
  
"EXCEPT THE CAMERA!!!"  
  
"Oh, all right, I won't share."  
  
Lorraine was totally cracking up. Usagi turned the camera on the laughing girl, and then on everyone else in the cabin. She gave Trunks' parents a very detailed tour of the cabin, providing a running commentary. She eventually made her way outside, where she spotted their leader.  
  
"Bulma, Vegeta, Bra, and whoever else may be watching this, this wonderful man here is James Antoine, our group leader. James, tell us. How do you feel about this camp?"  
  
"Well, we've been able to reform everyone that's come here, and Dr. Winner is so adorable!"  
  
"Right. Tell us more about this tournament."  
  
"Well, every year we have a tournament. All ten groups go up against each other in a series of tests. Whoever wins gets the trophy, and gets an all expense paid trip to Hawaii."  
  
"Is that because we all die of mysterious causes in Hawaii?"  
  
He laughed madly. "OF COURSE NOT!"  
  
"Riiiight. Okay, let's go see the showers. Bulma, you might want to leave."  
  
Usagi marched right into the showers, the camera rolling the whole time. The girls all looked over at her and waved. One girl punched the 'on' button to her stereo and began to dance. Four girls were dancing in a line to No Doubt. Usagi laughed.  
  
"Yeah, well these are the showers. Nick, what the heck are you doing in here?"  
  
"Um, well, I was…um…studying."  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure. Believe me, I didn't come here to shoot a porn movie. There ought to be some action around here somewhere…like there! Hello Tendo!"  
  
The blue haired girl turned around and stared at Usagi angrily. "Go away, Tsukino. I don't need to see your ugly face today."  
  
"Aw…'cause I was totally thinking you could be a porn star or something!"  
  
"I'LL KILL YOU!"  
  
Usagi threw the camera to a smirking girl, who kept the camera on the fight the whole time. Akane and Usagi were both in a fighting stance. Akane was breathing heavily.  
  
"I'll kill you, Tsukino."  
  
"Whoa, you really do have some problems!"  
  
Akane let out a shriek and charged at Usagi. Usagi squealed and flipped over the enraged girl's head. Akane's foot landed on a bar of soap, and she flew into the tile wall. After a few seconds, she groaned and fell backwards onto the ground. Usagi looked solemnly at the Akane-sized indent in the wall, and then inched over to the downed girl and nudged her with a toe. Then she knelt and rapped on her forehead with her knuckles. She looked up and smiled cheerfully.  
  
"Well, she out of it! Hey, Rach, could you take her to the nurse's?"  
  
"Why can't you?"  
  
"Because I absolutely hate nurses."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Thank you!"  
  
Usagi reclaimed the camera and wandered over to the boys shower. She stopped right outside, sighed, and moved away.  
  
"I'm scared of that place," she confessed to the camera. "Ugh. Guys. It's probably dirty in there, too. AH!!! Here's my buddy Hiiro! Hi Hiiro!"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"How do you like volunteering at this camp? Are you having a miserable time?"  
  
"Give it up, Bunny."  
  
"Eeeee!!! And here's my buddy Ranma! Bulma, Vegeta, this is my pal Saotome Ranma. He can turn into a girl. It's really cool, but he gets mad at me when I splash him. HA! It was so funny! Girl-Ranma was looking for hot water last night and GOT KISSED BY A GUY!!!! It was so funny. Ah, the guy's in the nurse's now. Eep! I'm gonna shut up. And why should I give up talking to Hiiro? It's my fondest hope that someday he will say something civil to me!"  
  
"Bunny. Hiiro's really anti-social."  
  
"Ranma! Hii-kun's not anti-social! He just doesn't like anyone! Oh, wow. Do you like anyone Hiiro? OH! I have an idea! Okay, if you hate everyone, don't kiss someone. If you *do* like someone, kiss someone!"  
  
He glared at her, and then looked around. Then he rolled his eyes and kissed her full on the mouth. He pulled away and stalked off.  
  
"Whoo…! He's a good kisser!" she said, beaming into the camera. "So he does like someone! I wonder who…?"  
  
Ranma slapped his forehead. "You're so dense, Bunny."  
  
"Oh! And here's where I killed a giant, human eating monster! It was huge! It had these huge fangs, dripping with blood! It was leaning down to eat Lexie when I killed it! I'm the camp's hero now!"  
  
"Bunny, it was a spider."  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
Hiiro watched from behind a tree as Usagi and Ranma joked around. Usagi was so happy around teens like herself. When she was around normal teens, she was callous and mean. She was that way around adults too. Was this how she was before the fire changed her life? Because it really had. If that fire hadn't happened, she wouldn't have sold part of her soul, and she wouldn't have gone blind. If she hadn't gone blind, she wouldn't have ever made those disks. If she hadn't made those disks and downloaded those programs, she wouldn't have ever come to the camp, and the war would be lost. If she hadn't come to camp, he wouldn't have met her. Ugh. Emotions were so…messy.  
  
Hiiro grunted and loped towards the main office. Maybe he could go shoot some cans. Or something.  
  
"ALL RIGHT!"  
  
Usagi and Lorraine screamed in unison, and James looked at them in disgust. He roared at them, and they screamed again. He frowned and bellowed at them. They clutched each other and screamed. Bleac popped her head up from where she was dusting her pictures and screamed at all three of them.  
  
This went on for quite some time, until Trunks came in.  
  
"SHUT UP!"  
  
"YOU!" they yelled.  
  
James growled at them. "Everyone! Outside! Now! Single file!" he bellowed.  
  
Usagi and Lorraine tumbled off the bed and ran outside, closely followed by Shiro, Lexie, and the boys. Once outside, they stood around in a messy group, muttering. James marched outside.  
  
"All right! I know the last two days have been all nice and cozy. I know you don't want to run six miles. I know you don't want to go through the "playground", and I know you don't want to run through the tree maze. But guess what? You're going to. Girls, go inside and get dressed in the clothes on your bed. Pull back your hair. Take off all jewelry. Make sure you have nothing that could get in the way of the training. GO!"  
  
Usagi gave him the finger and trudged inside. Five minutes later, they all came out wearing the exact same thing. They were all wearing combat boots, camouflage pants, and tight white tank tops. They each had ponytails, except of course for Lorraine who's hair was still spiked. Usagi examined her outfit, and then smiled.  
  
"Hey Lorra-chan! We look like army chicks!"  
  
That night:  
  
Usagi looked up from her position on the floor. The stars windmilled above her, and she was sure that her heart was just going to die any second. She felt like she had been rolled over by a steamroller. Repeatedly. The Sadist smirked at her.  
  
"How do you feel?"  
  
She whimpered.  
  
He nodded once, and then looked at everyone else. "How do y'all feel?"  
  
A chorus of groans answered his query. He smirked. "Just as I thought. You're all weak."  
  
Then he left.  
  
The seven teens in group ten lay there, drifting in and out of unconsciousness. Lorraine looked over at Usagi, and then over at Bleac, who wasn't in much better shape. She was entirely certain that they had entered Hell.  
  
Usagi lost track of time. All she knew was that it was cold, and that she was going to get hypothermia if they stayed out. So she crawled over to a tree and pulled herself up. She leaned against the tree, catching her breath. She was sort of understanding why kids stayed in line after coming to this camp. They were scared to death that they'd have to come back. She shook her head, waited until the world stopped spinning, and carefully turned to look down at the others.  
  
"Guys, we have to get back to the cabin. If we don't we'll get hypothermia."  
  
Nick's voice rose out of the gloom. "Bunny…I can't even move. I hurt too much…."  
  
Her voice snapped through the cold. "Guess what? I don't care! If you don't get up, you'll die! I'll be desolate! Inconsolable! Then I'll probably commit suicide. Trunks and Goten already left, and they're back in their nice, warm beds! GET UP, NOW!"  
  
After several muttered curses, she had everyone standing. Several minutes later, they were dragging each other back to the cabin. Something in her brain twitched, and she fell behind as they kept stumbling towards home. Home, eh? Funny to think that in only three days that cabin had become "home". She turned around, wondering what had made her stop.  
  
"Nice to see you again, Usagi."  
  
She couldn't be surprised. She was way too tired to be surprised. "Hello Amos Whittaker."  
  
"Now. About those gems in your wrists."  
  
She didn't respond. She was too tired.  
  
"You're supposed to swallow them. Concentrate on them, and they'll come out."  
  
She glared at her wrists, and sure enough, they popped out. "So…I swallow them?" she asked slowly.  
  
He nodded. She sighed, and dropped them into her mouth. Then she gulped them down. Nothing happened. She turned to him angrily.  
  
"What the heck was that for? I just swallowed two indigestible stones for nothing!"  
  
He smiled, and then it happened. The heat began in her stomach. Then it spread outward, touching her insides, warming her muscles, lending color to her pale visage. She felt the gold come back into her faded half-silver hair, and the blue come back into her drained orbs. She gasped at the feeling of power.  
  
"What was that?" she choked out.  
  
Amos went down on his toes in front of her. "Usagi, you realize that you lost half of your soul, correct?"  
  
"Yeah…" she said suspiciously.  
  
"Well, we couldn't leave you empty. So we filled you up with demon fire. Now, technically, you're half demon. Those stones are in every magical thing. If you kill one, they burst into flames. Nothing will be left except the stones. Eat them, and you gain power."  
  
"I'm half demon?" she asked witlessly.  
  
He nodded. "Yes. Usagi! Listen to me! You must go through with this training. The more you train, the stronger you are. I will send a teacher to train you at nights. Now go. Your secret training starts tomorrow."  
  
Then he disappeared.  
  
No big lights, no fancy noises. No good bye, either. Shoot. And he was really cute, too. She wandered back to the cabin in somewhat of a daze. She was fairly certain that being a demon was something that was no supposed to happen to her.  
  
That's what she thought, anyways.  
  
"I'm half demon?"  
  
Usagi sighed, put the whole experience down to indigestion, and turned to go.  
  
"Princess Serenity, stop right where you are."  
  
The cold voice of her moon mama froze her. She turned, drawing upon her instincts to guide her.  
  
"What do you want?" Her voice sounded cold, even to herself.  
  
Queen Serenity marched forward and put her hands on her hips. "Serenity, I was trusting that you would overcome temptation."  
  
Usagi could not believe her ears. "Resist temptation? What are you smoking? All my life you told me to be unselfish! To be sensitive to the need of others! Well, I think that selling my soul is pretty freaking unselfish, and that my family was definitely in need!"  
  
Queen Serenity went white. "You were to marry Endymion and rule Crystal Tokyo! How on earth could you just throw it away?"  
  
Usagi growled. "Why is it suddenly MY fault? I didn't do a damn thing! They kicked me out of their little clique because I WAS BLIND! I was perfectly willing to yield the position to someone else! It would be stupid for me to keep holding the position! I WAS BLIND! But they attacked me! They told me how stupid I was! They told me how worthless I was! Mamoru told me how he had never loved me! The only ones that stayed next to me were the Outers, and that was only because I was the Princess! My mom hated me! My dad hated me! My brother made faces at me because I WAS BLIND! I had absolutely no control over anything! No control! I was like a passenger in the backseat, watching as other people drove my life! WHY IS IT MY FAULT? I DID NOTHING!" she screamed at her mother.  
  
Queen Serenity took a step forward and slapped her. Usagi's hand went up to her cheek, as her eyes stared at her mother in shock. The forest was dead silent as the Queen and the Princess stared at each other.  
  
"Don't talk back to me, young lady." The queen hissed.  
  
"You hit me." Usagi's voice was flat and emotionless. God, why had she even thought to try? Adults never saw anything outside of their own, pretty little box. They looked at someone like her and said only, "Take her away. Fix her. She's broken." They never stopped to think that there was another side to the story. They never stopped to think that it was their goddamned fault!  
  
"You accuse me of being dishonorable. You blame me for their mistakes. You hit me."  
  
"Serenity, you will continue this…program…until Setsuna comes to collect you. You will leave the camp with her, and you will return to you life, the way it should me. Liko Mia will keep the title of Sailor Moon, but you will remain the Princess. Farewell."  
  
Then she disappeared in a shower of those annoying silver flakes. Maybe she had a dandruff problem. There was shampoo to treat things like that…  
  
So Setsuna-mama was going to come "collect" her. And apparently she was going to be welcomed back into the Senshi group with open arms.  
  
Bull.  
  
The next morning:  
  
"WAKE UP!"  
  
Usagi popped an eye open. It couldn't see well, so it coaxed the other open as well. So, as a result of opening her eyes, she found herself staring right into the face of the Sadist.  
  
"Aaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!"  
  
She threw herself out of bed, yanked on her clothes and sprinted out the door. He blinked, and then smiled.  
  
Ten minutes later, when he got everyone outside, Usagi was coming back from her six mile run. She jogged to a stop and then flopped onto the ground.  
  
"Ugh…"  
  
The Sadist kicked her, none too lightly. "Get up! Keep moving, and the cramps will go away! SHIRO! SON! EVERYONE!! GET YOUR LAZY ASSES INTO GEAR AND RUN!"  
  
Usagi pulled herself up, and looked at the man above that was smiling. Wait. Smiling and Sadist were to words that were not good when used together. She began to wriggle away from him in sheer terror. He grinned, and picked her up.  
  
"We're going to put you through the Playground until they get back."  
  
Damn.  
  
"Smiling sadists. When you see them, take my advice," she muttered into the hidden camera, "run like hell."  
  
Trunks and Goten were the first to return from their nice, leisurely jog. Seriously, they were expecting Mr. Sadist to be standing there, waiting to torture them. Even though it wasn't really torture. But anyways, they weren't greeted by that sight. The area was totally empty. Wind howled through the trees, heralding the tornado.  
  
It came crashing through the trees within five seconds. Screaming.  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
Usagi leaped over their heads and landed on a branch. She was shaking like a leaf. Her arms and legs were wrapped firmly around the tree branch, and her eyes were wide as saucers.  
  
Goten ambled over to stand below her. He tilted his head back, and grinned at her. "Say, Bunny, you going to come down?"  
  
She didn't even move. There was a rustling sound, and suddenly she shot up the rest of the tree, attempting to mold herself to the trunk. The Sadist came through the bushes, looking frustrated.  
  
"Son, have you seen Tsukino?"  
  
Goten clasped his hands behind his back and shook his head.  
  
"Of course not, Mr. Antoine. Are you looking for her?"  
  
"The damn twit ran off. I have to admit, she set a new record for the newbie Playground time. And now she's hiding so well that I CAN'T FIND HER!"  
  
Trunks smirked. "What was her inspiration?"  
  
"I had a spider. I had no idea that they worked so wonderfully. Say, Trunks, do you have a boyfriend?"  
  
Trunks turned purple and fell to the ground. Goten thumped him on the back, and helped him up. Trunks looked warily at the innocent looking leader.  
  
"Uh, I don't lean that way. I've got a girlfriend!"  
  
The man sighed. "Of course. All the good guys are taken. But let's run this idea past you! Your girlfriend would never know!"  
  
Trunks' face drained of color. "Uh…I have…to…go dry-clean…my mother…I mean…my girl…I mean…essay for school…my dog…uh, I have to go!"  
  
Goten watched the lavender boy run off and totally busted up laughing. The Sadist sighed unhappily and started off down the trail.  
  
"Just making sure the other morons haven't killed themselves…." He muttered as he passed Goten.  
  
Goten kept that perfect smile on his face. You probably know the one. The one that he used to charm the principal, the girls, the parents of the girls, and even his parents. Because God knows they always favored Gohan. His face turned bitter. Gohan the superhero. Gohan the nice guy. Gohan the wonderful boyfriend. Gohan the scholar. Gohan the dad. And Goten was forced to follow in his brother's shadow all his life.  
  
So he had done something that Gohan had never even tried. He got mixed up in drugs. He did Meth, XTC, Special K, and lots of other things. He had been caught, and got in major trouble. He knew that he had screwed his life up, and once he had been detoxified, was shoved right back into his brother's track.  
  
But now he had something that his brother never had. His brother had always lived to make other people happy. But now Goten had a select group of friends that were screwed up, just like him.  
  
Speaking of friends….  
  
"Hey Bunny, it's safe to come down now!"  
  
He waited, and then frowned when there was no answer.  
  
"Bunny?"  
  
Why were lakes always so damn peaceful? They had absolutely no right to be. Everything in the world was screwed up and chaotic, why couldn't the lake be? Why was there a pocket of calm in the midst of the whirling stream of chaos. As she moved on in her life, Usagi began to realize more and more that Chaos had won more completely that she ever had. Sure, the world had its good people. Like Quatre. He was the nicest guy she had ever met. Well, that wasn't fair. Motoki had been nice too. But Quatre was nice in a walk-all-over-me way, while Toki-kun was nice in a cheer-up / favorite-teddy-bear type.  
  
Usagi bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it as hard as she could. She watched it arc high into the air, and then plummet into the water. When it hit, the water rippled out in wide rings. Usagi gazed at them, seeing nothing. She sat down and pulled her knees to her chest. Then she propped her chin on her knees and thought.  
  
So. Her mother was taking an interest in her life again. This, of course, did not bode well for the bunny. Whenever mothers stuck their noses into business that wasn't theirs, they screwed everything up. Which was looking like a definite possibility, judging by the way things were going.  
  
According to what the Wicked Witch had said, Setsuna was coming to pick her up and take her away in the near future. Once this happened, she was expected to resume being little miss princess again. Probably even take back her relationship with Mamoru. Renew shattered bonds with the Inners.  
  
As far as she could see, none of this had a chance in hell of happening.  
  
First off, she wouldn't let Setsuna take her away. If she had to, she could pull rank. But that wouldn't be enough if she had direct orders from the Witch. So she'd have to deal with that particular problem in the more believable world. She could act like a total bitch when she came…so they wouldn't release her. Or she could just hide out in the forest. And if worse came to worse, she could always hunt down a…magical thing and eat its…stone…things.  
  
But in the unlikely event that she was kidnapped, there would be the whole trip home. They'd have to stop at a gas station so she could get out and pee…so she could just hop a semi that was there. Or hitchhike, if she had too. Huh. She had always wanted to do that, anyways.  
  
But if even THAT didn't work, she could just ignore her senshi, refuse to have anything to do with them, and kick Mamoru in the balls. Or she could kill herself.  
  
She considered this, and then shook her head. "Nah. Too much work. I'll just refuse to leave. That'll work. I don't think they'd release me, anyways."  
  
"Talking to yourself, now?"  
  
She shrieked and spun around. There was an absolutely HOT guy sitting behind her. He was wearing black. And he had a sword. And had red eyes. Damn. He was a demon. BUT HE WAS HOT!  
  
She turned on her sweet smile. "Go away."  
  
He smirked. "Nuh-uh. I'm not leaving you, girlie. Too much fun watching you think. Anyways, I'm your tutor. Get up."  
  
She glared at him. "Why should I?"  
  
"Because if you don't, I'll kill you."  
  
"Okay, you've convinced me."  
  
She jumped up and looked at him with those deep blue eyes. She arranged her face into that cute look that always got the grown-ups. Then she smiled at him. He simply rolled his eyes and shoved her off the cliff.  
  
I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE, her mind screamed frantically as she flailed her arms and legs. Her logic control looked at her hyperactive brain.  
  
'Well then fly, you dumbass.'  
  
Suddenly the wind stopped battering her face. Was she dead? Everyone always said that being dead would be like just going to sleep….  
  
"Get up!"  
  
Nope. Definitely not dead. That stuck-up, evil demon would NOT be in Heaven with her. Er…Purgatory. Or whatever. She opened her eyes, and found water about three inches from her nose. Her eyes widened, and she backed away. Then she realized that she wasn't standing on anything. She tried the equivalent of standing, and found her feet planted securely on…  
  
…air.  
  
Oh my. Usagi's mind promptly went into shock, and she calmly flew back up the cliff. She set her feet down on solid ground and looked at the demon.  
  
"I hate you."  
  
"Such strong words!"  
  
"But so, so appropriate."  
  
"USAGI!"  
  
She eeped and spun around. Flashlights were shining through the trees, shedding their light over everything. She gulped, and ran towards the lights. The demon gazed after her and laughed. He smirked and looked over at a tree, where a squirming body was tied to a tree.  
  
"Well, that was easy. She is *mine* to train, you understand that?"  
  
The figure gave a muffled protest. The demon walked casually over.  
  
"So, you disagree? I don't think you're in any state to protest."  
  
The demon sauntered away, leaving the corpse tied to a tree with an arrow in its chest.  
  
Usagi lay in bed with her chin propped on her arms. Thinking again. Enough of thinking about the Witch. Time to figure out how they could have some fun. She flopped over in bed, sighed loudly, and stared at the ceiling. Her eyes ran along the rafters, and then finally hit the door. She stopped. She smiled.  
  
"Eureka!" she whispered.  
  
Lorraine leaped out of bed and grabbed Usagi's neck. Her eyes were wild, and she was grinning madly. Lorraine shook the blonde furiously.  
  
"What is it?? Tell me! Tell me! I need something to do!" Lorraine whispered urgently.  
  
Usagi glared at the black girl. "I'll tell you if you stop shaking me!"  
  
Lorraine promptly let go and leaned forwards to listen to the plan. Usagi cupped her hands around Lorraine's ear and whispered the plan. Lorraine nodded, and then clapped happily.  
  
"It'll be so much fun!"  
  
Lorraine jumped over her bed, tripped, and did a belly flop onto Bleac's bed. One eye opened, and then the other followed quickly. Bleac brought her feet up and threw Lorraine off. Then she sat up and stared at the two sets of eyes crouched by her bed.  
  
"You know," she commented, "you're really scary people. What's up?"  
  
When she found out, she burst out laughing. Lorraine and Usagi both shoved their friend's face into the pillow and stared at the curtain nervously.  
  
Ranma poked his head out and looked around sleepily. "Hullo? What's the problem?"  
  
Usagi cleared her throat and pitched it to sound like Tsuzumi's. "The damn Irish bitch had a nightmare. Go away, you ecchi!"  
  
Ranma withdrew rapidly, and they soon heard four sets of snores. Usagi and Lorraine breathed sighs of relief. Bleac had *almost* busted them. And that wouldn't be fun. They waited without moving for fifteen minutes. An owl hooted outside the window. Usagi glanced at it, and caught a glimpse of it just in time to see its eyes glow.  
  
I'll get it tomorrow. she promised herself.  
  
Usagi and Lorraine stood up slowly, and checked for any irregular breathing. They heard nothing besides the deep, steady breathing of four males. They grinned at each other, hauled Bleac up, and then dug into Usagi's bag, giggling quietly as they pulled out the supplies. Then they tiptoed over to the separation and slipped into the boy's half of the cabin.  
  
An hour later three more female snores joined the others in the fantastic Land of Snores. Wonderful place. It gets you kicked a lot, though.  
  
*Usagi's Dream*  
  
Chibi Usagi was sitting on a counter with her hand in a cookie jar. She heard the door open, and then heavy steps on the front hallway. She smiled, showing her missing tooth. Usagi pulled her hand out of the cookie jar, stuffed a chocolate chip cookie in her mouth, and put the lid back on. She toppled of the counter top and ran clumsily over to her backpack. She looked around, unzipped it, and pulled out a white piece of paper and ran to the hallway.  
  
There she stopped and listened. She wasn't supposed to come in when Mommy and Daddy were talking.  
  
"Dan, just give me the keys. You'll get another DUI." Her Mommy.  
  
"Shut up, Asuza. I drive better than you any day."  
  
"Dan, I need to take Usagi to Kenji and Ikuko's house."  
  
"I told you to stop going there!"  
  
There was the familiar sound of flesh striking flesh, and then her mother's cry. The sequence came again, and then the heavy feet came for her.  
  
Later that night, sporting several new bruises, Usagi lay on her bed on her stomach. Tears were running down her cheeks. Why was her daddy so mean? Maybe it was her. She was a bad kid, so her daddy didn't love her…. A fat tear plopped down on the ripped picture she was slowly taping back together. She had spent so much time on it… Finally exhaustion overtook the little girl, and she cried herself to sleep.  
  
The sixteen year old Usagi stepped from the shadows and looked down sadly at the picture. There was a picture of three stick figures. Two were taller than the middle one, which was about the size of a small child. The figures were labeled. Mommy. Daddy. Me. She remembered that picture all to well…  
  
*Fin*  
  
"Usagi, Usagi, wake up!"  
  
Her eyes opened slowly, and she looked up at seven concerned faces. Lorraine touched her shoulder, but Nick opened his mouth first.  
  
"Why were you crying?"  
  
Usagi frowned and sat up. "None of your damn business."  
  
Then she saw the four boy's faces, and she went though a three second Olympian struggle to keep from either smiling or totally cracking up. A civil war raged within her, but luckily (THANK GOD) she won. She kept her face perfectly calm.  
  
Ranma smiled thinly. "Good. Now maybe you can tell us something."  
  
The bunny smiled. "Depends on what the answer is."  
  
Trunks shoved his face right up to hers. "WHAT THE FUCKING HELL DID YOU DO TO OUR FACES?"  
  
For their faces were decorated in a delightful array of colors. Trunks was sporting all purple. His cheeks were tinted a light lavender, his lips were coated in dark purple lipstick, and his eye-shadow was a beautiful shade of purple. Absolutely fantastic. Goten was colored in hues of blue. Ranma was decked out colors ranging from faded red to deep, dark red. Nick was in black. Frankly, Usagi couldn't find anything wrong with the picture. She reached up to her temple and made sure that the mini-corder was shooting. Assured that it was, she smiled charmingly.  
  
Goten was clenching and unclenching his fist. "Tsukino Usagi, can you find anything wrong with this picture?"  
  
Usagi cocked her head. Everyone waited. Then she shook her head. "No. You look like queers, but that isn't a change from your usual selves. Frankly, I don't see what the fuss is all about."  
  
Nick smiled. Ugh. He was picking up bad habits from the Sadist. "Usagi. You realize that we are going to kill you very, very slowly."  
  
Usagi let out a small squeak. "You're just joking, right guys?"  
  
They closed in on her, all grinning evilly. Ranma poked her. "Does this look like a joking face to you, Bunny?"  
  
"Uh-oh…aaaaiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!!!! THAT TICKLES!!! AHHHH!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"  
  
Usagi totally cracked when the boys all began to tickle her. She screamed, and lashed out with her feet. The tickling didn't stop. God, she could barely breathe! BUT OH LORD, THAT TICKLED!  
  
Usagi shrieked again, and tried to wriggle out of their Tickling-Reach. No such luck. But at fate would have it, she was saved.  
  
"Tsukino Usagi, would you please accompany me to the counselor's office? Oh my…."  
  
For the aide had laid eyes upon the four recent Freaks Of Nature, and was looking pale. Have you ever seen Rocky Horror Picture Show? Well, first off, it's the most insane movies ever created. Secondly, they have all the guys dressed up in questionable costumes. But that's not what I'm getting at. The lunatic of the movie, Dr. Frank N. Furter, wore all sorts of insane makeup. So that was the first thing that came to mind when the poor aide saw the four boys.  
  
And it didn't help the picture much when she saw them sprawled all over the bed, and the little blonde girl breathing heavily beneath them. Her face turned bright red and she stumbled out of the cabin.  
  
"Tsukino Usagi, please come out here!"  
  
Inside, everyone was totally cracking up. LOL! The look on her face was priceless! Attacking the boys, and having them retaliate was totally worth it, just to see the look on her face! Usagi laughed again as she pictured her face and threw all the people off her bed.  
  
She ignored the fact that she was only wearing a tight white halter top along with navy blue pajama bottoms and went right to the mirror. Usagi brushed her teeth for three minutes, spit into the sink, wiped her mouth, and then grabbed the brush. Then she smiled. When she came out, everyone stared.  
  
She had her hair up in two odangos, with short pigtails falling to her shoulders. She dimpled at them, and put on her slippers. Then she glared at them.  
  
"What?"  
  
Nick shook his head. "Nothing. Just that the hairstyle is cute."  
  
Usagi smiled. "Thanks, Nick."  
  
Then she hopped outside, already planning the evils that the day would hold. Maybe she could toilet paper someone's cabin. Or sneak inside and demolish it with honey, feathers, and other fun stuff. Or…she could throw a party. Oh my god! Usagi smiled gleefully. How cool would that be? She could put on her mixed CD, bring out her stereos, knock out the aide, invite people, come up with a spot, arrange it…HOW COOL!  
  
The aide stopped her with a still strangled voice. "We're here."  
  
They stood there for a while, until the aide cleared her throat.  
  
"You're supposed to go inside."  
  
Usagi smacked her forehead. "Oh, silly me. All right, although I fail to see why this is more important than my previous activities."  
  
The aide blushed a hot red, and hurried off. Usagi laughed, and moved to go inside. She was stopped, however, by yet another voice. This one more welcome than the last.  
  
"Hey, where're you off to?"  
  
She threw her arms around the braided boy and squeezed him tightly. "Ohayo Duo-kun! I have no idea. I thought that we were training again today, but apparently not. I kinda figured that one out when I didn't wake up looking into the Sadist's face."  
  
"The Sadist? Do I want to know?"  
  
Usagi shook her head. "Nope."  
  
Duo sighed. "Yeah, I thought so. Well, I better be going. See ya, Bunny!"  
  
She waved after him, and then smiled when he was out of distance. He was so kawaii! But it wasn't like the oh-my-god-I'm yours cute. It was the little-brother cute. Which was weird. She never had a brother besides Shingo, and he was adopted anyways. And that didn't work out well.  
  
She shrugged, and pushed through the door to the counselor's office. The woman sitting in the desk was pouring over several files. Usagi caught a name before the woman closed it and shoved it under the desk. It was her name. For some reason, this didn't sit right with her. These bastards probably knew more about her than she did.  
  
"Take a seat, Usagi."  
  
Usagi slouched in the chair and glowered at the woman. "You may call me Tsukino-san until I tell you otherwise." She announced in her imperial voice.  
  
The woman stopped, looked at her, and then folded her hands. "As you wish…Tsukino-san. May I ask you a few questions?"  
  
"No."  
  
There was an uncomfortable silence, until the damn counselor shattered it.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I don't want big noses in my head." Usagi replied promptly, without opening her eyes.  
  
The counselor frowned. "Usagi, we're not going to be able to help you unless you open up."  
  
Usagi's eyes snapped open. "I don't want my help goddamnit! It's not even my fault!"  
  
"How so?"  
  
The blonde clamped her mouth shut. Nothing else was coming out of *her* lips. The counselor smiled again, obviously trying to keep calm. Usagi was very obviously stubborn. Why did *she* have to deal with Group Ten? Every other kid had a substance abuse problem, which she knew how to fix. Every other kid had a motivation problem, or a bad influence. Mrs. Lana Elliot knew how to deal with those kinds of kids. But every child in group 10 had gone bad for unknown reasons.  
  
Like Usagi. She had been a sweet, cheerful girl with lots of friends. Then the fire came, and she went blind. Then she went bad. But no one knew why. Except for maybe Dr. Winner, but he wasn't talking. She snapped to attention when Usagi began to speak.  
  
"Did you know that I never really had a family?"  
  
She was holding Lana's family photo. Lana chose not to respond, lest it break Usagi out of this rare, peaceful mood. She held her breath and prayed that Usagi would speak on. The bunny did.  
  
"My first family was dysfunctional. My dad beat my mother and I, and then the state took me away. Then they sold me to the Tsukinos. Ikuko and Kenji already had Shingo. They didn't need me. But they took me anyways. I was raised as their daughter. My life was perfect until I turned fourteen."  
  
Lana bit her lip, going against every instinct as a counselor, and bit back the obvious question. If it was God's will, the blonde teen would speak on her own free will.  
  
Usagi traced Lana's family's faces, a rare tender look on her face. "I never knew what happened. I went blind…and everyone hated me. I didn't understand. I still don't. My friends…." She trailed off.  
  
Lana couldn't resist. "What did your friends do?"  
  
Usagi stiffened, and then her eyes snapped up to bore into Lana's gray eyes. "Fuck off."  
  
Lana sighed audibly. "Usagi, please talk to me! I'm trying to help you!"  
  
The blonde girl jumped up. "No you're not! You're not trying to help me! God, who is? Every fucking adult that I've ever met doesn't give a damn about any of us! They just want us fixed up and put back together so the perfect people don't have to deal with us! That's the truth and you damn well know it!"  
  
Lana tried not to shrink under the distraught blonde's tirade. Was that what they honestly thought? That no one cared? But that would make sense. No one cared, so why bother? If that was true, she'd have to fix it!  
  
"Usagi, that's not true!" she said softly.  
  
The blonde suddenly ripped a lamp off of the desk and threw it at the wall with all her might.  
  
"JUST ADMIT IT!" she screamed as she watched it shatter.  
  
Lana jumped out of the chair with her hand over her heart. What had she done wrong? Seeing no other alternative, she tried to placate the teen.  
  
"Usagi, calm down!"  
  
"NO!" she screamed. She hurtled the picture she held at the counselor and ran from the cabin. She heard Lana calling after her, and increased her speed. Ha! Teach them to treat her like a kid. It was so frustrating to be talked at by a parent! They just didn't understand, so they shouldn't try to! Then they would pull that spiel about how "they were kids once too, and had gone through the same things". Bull. They've forgotten. Wasn't that the whole point of maturing anyways? Growing out of those teen tendencies?  
  
Usagi sped up again and increased speed, until she was at a flat out run. Arms pumping, feet thudding against the dry dirt, she ran and ran and ran. Her mind was churning, rolling over ideas and wondering just what the hell grown-ups thought they were trying to pull off.  
  
Finally, after about a half hour of straight running, she slowed, stopped, and began to walk around in circles to work out her cramps. Then she dropped, did 50 push-ups, 100 crunches, and then stretched her arms and legs. Then she sighed, stood up, and reluctantly headed back to camp.  
  
And was stopped.  
  
Just what was it with this forest, her, and unwelcome people? It just didn't work for her. Ugh. Who could it possibly be now?  
  
"So you're the stone-source I've been looking for."  
  
Or what, she thought dimly as she looked at this absolutely hideous…freaky thing. It was big, blue, orange, and green, and had these crazy tentacle looking things sticking out of its sides. It sort of looked like a spider with six legs and two tentacles. It glowed at her.  
  
"Surrender a Source."  
  
Usagi gulped. Why, oh why, had she skipped training that one night? There was no way she could win. Of course, there was also no way that she was going to give up her stones. So.  
  
"What's a Source?"  
  
The spider-thing did something that looked like it was rolling its eyes. It made a squishing sound, and then thumped to the ground.  
  
"A Source is one of four things. A Dream Mirror, a Star Steed, a Heart Crystal, or a Soul Gem. Give me one."  
  
Usagi smiled at him winningly. "How about we just go our separate ways and forget about each other, okay?"  
  
She turned to go, already coming up with an excuse for what happened, when she felt something shoot out of her chest. She screamed in pain and fell to the ground. THIS WAS NOT GOOD!  
  
She was hazily aware of the monster laughing above her. Then she felt a wrenching sensation, a splitting pain, and then nothingness. Damn. There was the other half of her. Gone.  
  
Usagi tried to roll over, but just thinking about it made her sick. She curled up in a fetal position and cried like a baby. He hadn't taken her heart, her dreams, or her power. He had taken her star steed. AND IT WASN'T A FUN FEELING! AND IT WAS A SPIDER!  
  
Her pain fled under the heat of her terror / rage. She leaped up and looked around. IT WASN'T THERE! Her mind was running around in circles screaming hysterically while her logic control center just cried like a baby. If there was one thing that she had for sure, it was arachnophobia. Oh, God yes.  
  
Anyways, finding out that it wasn't there absolutely terrified her. Of course, the only sensible thing to do was to HUNT AND DESTROY. Of course, she'd have to be sneaky about it. But there was no other choice, really. It was either HUNT AND DESTROY or wait for it to come back and pick her off little by little. So. The only reasonable choice, of course, was to HUNT AND DESTROY.  
  
So off she went, bent on HUNTING AND DESTROYING the big spider that stole her star steed.  
  
Left behind in the dust, Amos, our friendly Australian demon sweat dropped. Then he scratched the back of his head with this kawaii bewildered look on his face.  
  
"Does she even realize that I filled her up again?"  
  
A few miles down the road, Usagi was floating above the spider, who was looking up at her in terror. The blonde's pigtails were floating around her, giving her a pissed of demon look. Which, um, thanks to our friend Amos, wasn't a stretch of the imagination.  
  
"Listen pal," Usagi was saying, "this is how I see it. YOU'RE A SPIDER, you stole my star steed, left me to die, AND YOU'RE A SPIDER! So. I'm thinking that it's payback time. Now. Give me your Sources of die a slow and painful death."  
  
The spider stood still for a moment, and then tried to make a break for the trees. Usagi saw this and narrowed her eyes.  
  
"Like hell!" she yelled as she sent a specialized blast towards the SPIDER.  
  
It froze, made a sizzling sound, and toppled over. Usagi totally ignored the body as it burst into flames and flew over to the Sources. Smiling evilly, she absorbed the items. Then she turned, picked up the Gems, and swallowed them. Smiling a little at the warmth, she bounced home.  
  
Back at the cabin, she heard hoots and catcalls. Smirking, she advanced on the cabin. She peeked her head inside and looked around in curiosity. There was no one on the girl's side besides Shiro and Lexie, and they didn't matter. Bleac came through the curtain right at that moment and spotted Usagi. She squealed and ran over to the blonde.  
  
"Bunny, Bunny, Bunny, Bunny! Come *here*! We're all playing strip poker and guess who's losing!"  
  
Usagi grinned. "Tell me!"  
  
"NICK! HE ONLY NEEDS TO LOSE ONE MORE TIME!"  
  
Usagi squealed and ran through the curtain. Tsuzumi stared at the curtain, just waiting for it to happen. Sure enough, within a matter of minutes she head Trunks laugh.  
  
"You lose, Nick!"  
  
There was a mild silence and then she heard Lorraine and Usagi's twin giggle.  
  
"Ooooooooooh!"  
  
Then everyone burst out laughing. 


	4. Chapter Four

Good Riddance  
  
***  
  
First off, I'd like to dedicate this chapter to EVERYONE that has ever reviewed this fic…wow. Believe me, I was certain I was just seeing things when I saw your reviews. I was entirely certain that it was because of the air freshener that I had been spraying. But, after numerous drug tests (damn poppy seed muffins) I have finally discovered that in fact people do like this thing that my crazed mind threw at you. Wow. Anyhow, on with the story!  
  
(several scientists shake their heads sadly)  
  
***  
  
Picture this. A happy little town. Children playing happily in the fields. Coming when their parents call. Birds singing, their cheerful songs soaring through the air, making the townsfolk smile with pleasure. Tiny houses were nestled neatly between tall, comforting trees. There were no pesky salesmen, and no obnoxious husbands that liked to blow things up.  
  
This is the world Bulma *wished* she lived in.  
  
Now picture this. A huge, polluted city. Children smiling at each other and then promptly robbing the other of any meager valuables. Totally ignoring the pleas of well-intentioned parents, preferring to be DEVILS. Absolutely no birds except for pigeons, and they only crapped on your head. Hundreds of houses were strewn haphazardly across the landscape, and all the trees were owned by the city. There were WAY too many pesky salesmen that came pounding at your door and calling at all hours of the night. And there was only one obnoxious husband that liked to blow things up. Which would have been alright, except for the fact that he belonged to our poor, abused, blue haired scientist.  
  
This is the world that Bulma lived in.  
  
Well, maybe it wasn't all bad.  
  
Bulma gave Bra a bone crushing hug.  
  
"Good job, Bra! Straight A's! Fantastic! What would you like to do to celebrate?"  
  
Bra smiled and pulled away from her mother. "Well, me an' the girls are celebrating the end of my course at the mall…so bye!"  
  
Bra gave her mother another quick hug and bolted out the door. Bulma stared after her daughter, feeling horribly betrayed. Imagine that! Her daughter didn't even want to celebrate with her! Well, not like that was new. Bra had been growing up…too quickly if she had anything to say about it. At least she was growing up in the *right* way.  
  
Good Lord, what the hell had she done wrong with Trunks? How on earth had he gotten involved with drugs? Well, that was halfway Goten's fault…but her son should have been able to say no! God! All those anti-drug commercials must be totally worthless. Maybe the government should stop making those dumb commercials…they really didn't seem to be working.  
  
And why couldn't Trunks have just gone into rehab? No! He had to go all the way to a SUMMER CAMP in Nerima! God…speaking of which, weren't they supposed to receive a recording from him soon?  
  
With this thought firmly held in her mind, she trekked out to the mail box, hoping to god that Vegeta wasn't training. She was NOT in the mood to fix the gravity chamber again.  
  
With her mood growing darker, she yanked open the mailbox and glared into it. She shoved her hand into it and felt around. Then she stopped and smiled.  
  
"VEGETA!" Bulma screamed as she ran down the hall. "VEGETA!"  
  
He stuck his head out of the bathroom door. The Saya-jinn saw her coming and scowled.  
  
"What do you want, onna?"  
  
She threw her arms around his neck happily and kissed him smack on the lips. Bulma pulled away and skipped to the living room.  
  
"We got a recording from Trunks!" she exclaimed happily.  
  
Vegeta blinked, frowned, and pulled on his shirt. Grumbling to himself about excitable women, he stomped into the living room where Bulma was plugging disassembled recorder into the player. Then a picture of Trunks' face appeared on their BIG screen TV. Bulma waved, remembered he couldn't see her, and then put her hands in her lap.  
  
"Uh…hi Mom. Hi Dad. Um. So I guess I'm supposed to tell you about camp."  
  
Trunks looked at someone in front of him. "Uh, okay. Mom, Dad, camp sucks, and this is my friend Bunny…."  
  
The camera zoomed over to look at a pretty blonde girl sitting in a chair. Trunks handed the camera to someone, and moved in front of the camera.  
  
"Yeah, this is Usagi. She's here…'cause…um…hell, why *is* she here?"  
  
There were some mutters, and then Bulma's screwed up baby shrugged. "Whatever. Yeah…"  
  
Trunks' lame report went on for some time until a girl walked onto the screen and yelled at Goten, Then the blonde fell out of the chair and stole the camera. Things got MUCH more lively from there.  
  
Bulma and Vegeta watched in slack-jawed amazement as the energetic bunny bounced to all ends of the camp. Bulma shrieked and covered her husband's eyes before he got too good of a look at the ladies' showers. After that all they could do was stare. They were watching as the girl took the camera apart and tied it into a bandana so they could have a better look at the camp. From her view, of course.  
  
But they got one of the many shocks of their lives when the girl was first met by a demon (apparently she had met him before) and then get slapped by her mother. They saw her get killed (sort of) by the spider, and then brought back to life as a complete demon. They saw her kill the spider and reclaim her soul. Of course, they also saw her and her friends as they painted the boy's faces. It was all a very personal look at the camp. At least one very insane side.  
  
A few hours later, Bulma remembered to breathe. When she had gotten enough air to her brain she leaped up. Bulma turned to Vegeta and grabbed his throat.  
  
"WHY DID YOU SEND MY BABY THERE?" she wailed.  
  
"HE'S LIVING IN THE SAME PLACE AS A DEMON! WE HAVE TO HELP MY BABY!"  
  
Vegeta grabbed her shoulders and shoved her away. Glaring at her with coal black eyes, he shook her hard.  
  
"Shut up, onna! You don't know what you're talking about."  
  
Vegeta snorted. "well, I hadn't figured it out until now. But I used to be engaged to that blonde girl in that video. See, the Saya-jinns and the Lunarians were supreme in about the same era. I was engaged to that Usagi, Princess Serenity. It was purely a political marriage. Then Earth entered the fray, and the Queen re-engaged Serenity to Endymion of Earth. Then the Bitchy Beryl attacked and destroyed the Moon Kingdom. Her mother, whom Serenity refers to as the Wicked Witch, sent Serenity and her court to the future. Then she froze our kingdom. What happened next is history."  
  
Bulma stood there, with this confused look on her face. The confusion quickly turned to anger as she rounded on her surprised husband.  
  
"YOU'VE BEEN CHEATING ON ME WITH A HIGH-SCHOOL DELINQUENT!" she screamed at him.  
  
Vegeta stared at her and decided to shake her again. "GODDAMMIT WOMAN! THAT WAS A THOUSAND YEARS AGO!" he roared.  
  
She blinked. "Oh. I see. So. What are you going to do about the fact that my baby is living with a demon?" she demanded.  
  
Meanwhile at camp….  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Silence for a little bit. The crickets were chirping, and they could see the expectant faces of the cabin members waiting for them to come out. Deep, steady breaths. Wasn't that what you were supposed to do in CPR? But not too deep, or you'll pop their lungs. Or something.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"No, but let's go!"  
  
"Right!"  
  
Usagi and Lorraine leaped out onto the stage. Usagi was carrying a CPR dummy on her back. Lorraine cupped her hands around her mouth.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight, you will be seeing CPR: When You Are Saved by Someone Dumber Than You and Someone Else Comes to Get Rid of the Dumb Person and Brings You Back to Life- The Play! Starring Tsukino Usagi as the dumb rescuer, Lorraine Dupont as the Savior, and Mr. Ed Wardo as the Victim!"  
  
"ACTION!" the black girl yelled, and then the show started.  
  
Usagi walked out onto the stage, and then looked down at the CPR dummy at her feet. She cleared her throat.  
  
"Oh my god. Look. Right there. There is a person drowning. Or dying. Or choking. Or something. Let us save the poor soul."  
  
She bent down to pick the dummy up. Then her eyes widened and she went totally ballistic.  
  
"OHMIGOD! THIS ISN'T A DREAM!!! SOMEONE HELP!!! HE'S DYING! HE NEEDS CPR! AHHHH!!!!!!!!"  
  
The distressed blonde began running around in circles screaming at the top of her lungs. Bleac, Nick, and everyone else just stared.  
  
Lorraine came careening onto the "stage" and ran into Usagi, sending all three flying. The dummy landed with a thump in the aisle. Usagi threw her hands up and screamed. She threw herself at the dummy, wailing about how much of a bad day he was having.  
  
"I'll save you!" she cried dramatically.  
  
Lorraine leaped down to Usagi and the dummy. She kicked Usagi out of the way.  
  
"No! I'll save you! That fluff-head would kill you! Wait. Since he's already dead, can he be killed again? Oh! And how come we can bring people back to life? Isn't that supposed to be God's deal? So does that mean we're gods or something? Since we can bring people back to life? Wouldn't that make sense? I mean, think about it. No, don't give me funny looks! Think about it! Are we gods? Are we monkey gods? Damn, that'd be sweet! Monkey-God Lorraine!"  
  
"He's alive!" Usagi squealed.  
  
Lorraine stopped and looked down at Usagi who was hugging the dummy tightly. The black girl blinked once, and then scratched her head.  
  
"Now just what the hell happened?"  
  
In Tokyo:  
  
Tsukino Ikuko always considered herself to be a good mother and a dutiful wife. She had prided herself, actually, for raising Shingo and Usagi so well. Shingo was a wonder when it came to cars and such, and even though Usagi had never quite been the brains of the family, she had always been there when you needed to smile. So what, exactly, had happened? Ikuko drifted up the stairs, feeling more like a failure than ever. These stairs…she could see Usagi smiling happily down at her, but she could also see the bitter, angry girl that the sweet blonde was slated to become.  
  
Ikuko paused in front of Usagi's door, before opening it. The room was dark. She could barely remember the layout, because her oldest hadn't let her into her new room once they bought it. She flipped on the light and looked around at the alien room.  
  
The bed was in the corner by the window, and there was a dresser and a desk on a wall, too. A black bean-bag chair had been thrown into a corner. Usagi had millions of CD's scattered across the floor, but she could tell that some where missing. Her computer was sitting, dormant, on the desk. Ikuko's eyes took in the dark theme of the room, and she almost missed the black cat that was lying on the bed.  
  
Luna looked up, and for an instant, Ikuko thought she could see tears shining in the cat's eyes. But then the shield slid over the intelligence, and the cat darted out of the room. The woman shook her head and ventured further into her daughter's chaotic room.  
  
A few minutes later, as she was searching through the desk, she came across a blue box. It was locked, she noted with a frown. She exited the room, and grabbed a hairpin from the bathroom on her way back downstairs.  
  
Once downstairs she sat down on the couch. Inserting the hairpin, Ikuko jiggled the lock until it popped open. Biting her lip, she removed the top. Inside there was a wealth of pictures. There were also several notes. It almost seemed that Usagi maybe had wanted it to be found. It was like a summary of her life. But no. That would be impossible.  
  
She reached in, and took the stack of pictures. Spreading them out on the floor around her, she tried to imagine how Usagi had been turned around.  
  
There was one large picture, of about fourteen people. Three of them she recognized as the Three Lights. Another one she knew was the racer Ten'ou Haruka, and another as the violinist Kaioh Michiru. The four younger ones were Minako, Ami, Rei, and Makoto. The two younger ones must be Chibiusa, and her little friend Hotaru. Then there was Chiba Mamoru, Usagi's boyfriend. Cute, but she had never liked him. In the background there was an unknown woman with long green hair. Usagi spoke about another woman often, so she must be Meioh Setsuna.  
  
She flipped the picture over, and blanched. There were names on the back, but not the ones she had expected. Sailor Venus. Sailor Star Fighter. Sailor Pluto. Sailor Saturn. Sailor Mercury. Sailor Chibi Moon. Tuxedo Kamen, etc., etc., etc. There was a note in Usagi's handwriting.  
  
"Here're all my friends! Kami-sama, sometimes I think I'm lucky! I mean, I've got my husband (Tuxedo Kamen, Mamoru, Endymion, whoever), my future daughter (CHIBIUSA-CHAN), and all the Senshi as my friend. And I'm Sailor Moon, Champion of Justice, and future Queen of Crystal Tokyo! Great stuff, huh?" Ikuko read aloud.  
  
Then she realized what she read and almost fainted. Good Lord, her daughter was running around the city in a miniskirt waving wands at monsters!  
  
"MY POOR BABY!" she wailed.  
  
Odd how mothers seem to skip over the *important* things.  
  
Capsule Corps:  
  
Bulma scrolled through the Internet, searching for Tsukino Usagi. She *had* to get a hold of that demon's mother! Her poor baby was STAYING IN A CABIN with a DEMON. That just couldn't be right. It really couldn't. Finally, after about three seconds of searching, an IM box popped up.  
  
Bulma stared at it, and watched in amazement as someone talked at her.  
  
Switch_50: why r u looking 4 Tsukino?  
  
She stared at it in shock for a moment and then typed her answer.  
  
Blade: because I need to reach her parents.  
  
Switch_50: whatever. You won't reach her, if you need a disk. I've been trying to contact her for weeks, and damn it blade, I think she's been shipped off to a camp. But you want her number?  
  
Blade: please  
  
Switch_50: dude, what are you smoking? Damn, you're all polite an' shit, it's scary as hell man. Click here for the number. She told me not to type it, in case someone's spying. Catch ya later, man  
  
switch_50 signed off at 2:30 PM  
  
Bulma clicked the hyperlink and was startled by her phone ringing. Frowning, she walked into the kitchen to pick up the nearest phone.  
  
"Hello?" she asked at the same time as someone else. Bulma stared at the phone, and then frowned.  
  
"Who is this?" she demanded.  
  
"This is Tsukino Ikuko! Who's this?"  
  
"Bulma Briefs! You're just the woman I wanted to talk to!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Well, I need to talk to you about your daughter."  
  
"MY BABY!"  
  
About five minutes later they had arranged to meet at the camp in a week, to check up on their babies. It irked Bulma, however, to find that Ikuko refused to believe that her baby was a demon. Oh well. Not her problem. But it will be if she hurts Trunks, Bulma promised herself grimly as she walked off to inform Vegeta that they were leaving.  
  
The Ritz, New York:  
  
Haruka smirked at Michiru, who was collapsed on the bed. The tomboy sauntered around the many suitcases and sat down by Michiru and kissed her gently. The Senshi of Neptune smiled up at her lover.  
  
"It's nice to be off of a plane. In fact, we should call Usagi-hime now that we're at the hotel."  
  
Haruka smiled. "Great idea. Now what was Koneko's number…? Oh, right. I remember."  
  
She dialed the number and waited. The bunny's mother picked up the phone. For some unknown reason, the kind woman seemed out of breath.  
  
"Tsukino-san. May I speak to Usagi?"  
  
"Is that you, Ten'ou-san?"  
  
Haruka glanced at Michiru, who was watching attentively. The more female of the two crossed over and pushed the speaker-phone button.  
  
"Hai, it's me."  
  
"Is it true that you're Sailor Uranus?"  
  
Michiru gasped and clutched Haruka's shoulder. Haruka touched her hand and sharpened her attention to maximum level. She could be more attentive than this, unless she was in battle. But of course, this just might be a battle.  
  
"Hai. How did you find out? Where's Koneko?"  
  
"I found a picture with your aliases on the back. Usagi is in a correctional summer camp."  
  
Michiru gasped again. "Why is Usagi-hime in a correctional program?"  
  
"Apparently because she's been breaking several laws. She hasn't been the same since she went blind."  
  
"How did she go blind?" Haruka fairly yelled.  
  
"From the fire."  
  
"What fire?" Michiru asked quietly.  
  
"The fire that destroyed our house. Her friends haven't been around since then, either. Kaioh-san, are you Sailor Neptune?"  
  
"Hai. Ruka-chan, I think we need to go to Japan. Now."  
  
Haruka nodded and turned back to the phone. "Tsukino-san, we'll be there soon. And while we're there, I think we need to make house calls on the Inners."  
  
"The Inners?" Ikuko asked. "Do you have separate groups?"  
  
Haruka cracked her knuckles. "Hell yeah. Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, and I are the Outers. Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, and Venus are the Inners. Basically it's like this. The Inners are lying, cheating, backstabbing SCUMBAGS, and the Outers are the only ones that actually consider protecting Koneko. Yep, we need to make some visits, Michi-chan. Ja, Tsukino-san."  
  
Then she hung up. Haruka raised angry eyes to Michiru's concerned ones.  
  
"If I'm right, we should be getting a message from Setsuna soon," Haruka seethed angrily.  
  
There was a long pause as the two senshi watched the door, waiting for the knock from fate. Fate tended to knock at their door too much. The climax was beginning to be anticlimactic, which was a pity. So when the manila envelope slid under their door and stopped at their feet, it wasn't too much of a surprise, really.  
  
Seeing as Haruka was too busy imagining ways of torture, it was left to the calmer, aqua-haired senshi of the sea to actually open the letter. So Michiru knelt, picked it up, and opened it. A letter fluttered out. Michiru rolled her eyes at the drama and picked the letter up.  
  
"Dear Uranus and Neptune," she read aloud. This caught Haruka's attention, now. She leaned forward and listened as Michiru read the rest of the letter.  
  
"As you may have discovered, Usagi-hime has come to be at a correctional summer camp through a bizarre twist of destiny. Regardless of the fact that she is perfectly happy there with her soul-mate, and has no wish to return to being the Princess, I have been given a direct order to collect her and bring her back to Tokyo.  
  
"The camp is on Lake Nerima. She will be relatively simple to find, seeing as she has a unique energy signature. Sincerely, Pluto."  
  
Michiru and Haruka stared at each other. Then Michiru smiled happily.  
  
"Let's go stop Setsuna-san from taking Usagi-hime away!"  
  
Haruka rolled her eyes, and began to repack her suitcases. Not much fun, believe me. Especially when you just finished unpacking. Good grief.  
  
"Yeah," Haruka growled, "let's go kick some Inner ass."  
  
"HARUKA!"  
  
Lake Nerima, Cabin 10:  
  
If you were just a ghost floating aimlessly around in that cabin, you would constantly be provided with endless entertainment. At this moment, in fact, you would be watching one of many comical scenes. You would see two sets of eyes peering over a dark surface. Then you would realize that this dark surface is a bed, and that there is someone in the bed. The two pairs of eyes glance at each other, and one set ducks down. You would undoubtedly hear the sounds of zippers and things tumbling to the floor.  
  
"It's not here!"  
  
"Look harder!"  
  
"Can we forget it and just steal her bras and underwear? We could run them up the flagpole!"  
  
"We'll do that, too! Now shush! If Tsuzumi wakes up, we're toast! Where're you going?"  
  
"To hide these, in case the witch wakes up!"  
  
Silence…then: "Okay."  
  
There was a long pause, and then there were two pairs of eyes again. They looked at each other again, and then stared at the lump under the covers. One set of eyes looked at the other set. The second set stared at the first.  
  
"You're joking!"  
  
"No."  
  
"Fine! I'm going in."  
  
An arm snaked over the edge of the bed and wriggled under the pillow. Set Two felt around, and then hissed something at Set One. Set One nodded once, and Set Two began to pull something out from under the pillow.  
  
Until something grabbed her wrist. Set Two's eyes met Tsuzumi's. There was silence for approximately 3.2 seconds. Then everything fell to pieces.  
  
"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TSUKINO?"  
  
Lorraine, the uninjured Set One, threw herself at her bed and scrambled under her covers. Snores could be heard promptly. Usagi whipped her head around, and was horrified to discover that there was no escape. She just barely ducked as Tsuzumi threw herself out of bed and attacked the blonde.  
  
Usagi screamed and leaped up. Tsuzmui raised herself to her knees, and looked at the frightened bunny evilly. Usagi panicked, kicked the Japanese girl, and ran out of the cabin as fast as she could. Deciding to make this look as weird as possible, she threw her arms up and wailed.  
  
Her eyes, unfortunately, were so teary that she ran smack dab into the flagpole. The bunny fell backwards slowly, only to be caught by her trainer…what was his name…? Had he even told her? Ugh…what did the blonde say when she walked into a bar?  
  
"Ouch." She mumbled. "That's a stupid joke."  
  
There was an Australian laugh behind her, "No one's joking, m' dear. Now why did you miss your training?"  
  
Usagi rolled over and glared up at them. Good Lord, they actually expected her to *think*? Jesus, she had just run into a goddamned pole for Christ's sake!  
  
"I am not in any condition to make any coherent response, seeing as my brain is currently swelling up like a balloon, ready to pop. Then I'll die. Go away, I want to die in peace!"  
  
Amos and the…nameless dude…exchanged an amused looked, and then faded into the night. Usagi raised her head and looked around warily. Ha! No one was there! Which meant that she was alone.  
  
She crawled to her feet, giggling evilly. 'Tsuzumi, you're gonna get it now,' Usagi thought victoriously. Finally, about five minutes later, she viewed the outcome of her feat with glowing pride. Glowing pride. Usagi's thoughts froze right there, and instantly switched to hacker mode.  
  
Glowing Pride. What a fantastic name for her latest creation! So much better than A.I. or whatever else they had out there. Ah, when she got home, back to her computer…THE HORRORS SHE COULD CREATE!  
  
Smiling happily, dreaming of the terror she could inflict upon the people that opposed her, she drifted back towards the cabin, where Tsuzumi was sleeping with one eye open.  
  
Actually, after three attempts on her life, she was "forced" to go sleep with Ranma. Loads of fun! Of course, she wouldn't dream of telling anyone that.  
  
Tokyo:  
  
Ami walked steadily though the throngs of people, milling around, wasting their petty lives in ignorance. She honestly couldn't understand how anyone could live like that. Just walking around, totally consumed with what they were going to wear the next day, and who they were going to marry, and so on. The sad thing was that she was close to two people just like that. Mia and Minako. Of course, there had been Usagi, but her name was like a curse among the Senshi now.  
  
She genuinely felt bad about what they had done to the happy go lucky blonde. She had been a wonderful Sailor Moon, and even though Liko Mia was a strong leader, she just wasn't Usagi. But it wasn't like she could voice her opinions to Rei and the others.  
  
She looked up at the blue sky, sighed, and hugged her books closer to herself. Why was *everything* up to her? She was supposed to go out and buy food for all of them. Ami was really beginning to see why Queen Serenity had chosen her daughter to rule, instead of Liko Mia. Mia was a dictator. She expected things to be done her way, and right away. Usagi had always been nice to everyone.  
  
Ugh! People are so STUPID sometimes! They are just totally clueless! When they have something fantastic, they throw it away for something that looks great but really isn't. But when they realize that the great new thing isn't so great after all, they throw *that* away and expect the fist fantastic thing to come back smiling. But the first one is already mad, so it doesn't come back, so they're left with nothing.  
  
Amazing how that tends to happen. Wasn't there even a phrase for that? Ah, yes. The diamonds are always brighter on someone else's hand.  
  
THUMP  
  
Ami fell backwards, her whole life flashing before her eyes. Her butt connected with the ground with a painful thump, causing tears to spring to her eyes. Nevertheless, she climbed to her feet and offered the other victim a hand up. She almost reconsidered, however, when she saw that the other victim was in fact Usagi's mother Ikuko.  
  
Yikes.  
  
Ikuko dusted off her skirt and paled when she saw the pretty white face staring at her. That same pretty face was framed with short blue hair, too. Mizuno Ami. The smartest girl around, and traitor to her daughter Sailor Moon. She smiled politely at the girl.  
  
"Konichiwa, Sailor Mercury."  
  
Then she pushed past her, anger glowing red hot in her eyes. Ami stared after the retreating woman for a moment before coming to her senses.  
  
"Tsukino-san! Tsukino-san! Matte! Matte," she cried as she frantically ran after the woman.  
  
Ikuko stopped and turned around, almost making Ami run into her again. The older woman looked down at Ami with cold eyes.  
  
"What?"  
  
Ami swallowed. This could get her in big trouble. But then again, hadn't Usagi always stuck up for her? This firmed her resolve.  
  
"Where is Usagi?" she asked softly.  
  
Ikuko stared at her, and smiled grimly. It was, really, not the smile Ami had expected.  
  
"You really want to know?"  
  
Ami swallowed hard and nodded. What on Earth was she getting herself into? Did she really want to know where Usagi was? She hadn't been in the arcades. The bunny hadn't been in SoHo's lately. And more importantly, the now familiar bunny icon (Usagi's hacker symbol) had been suspiciously absent.  
  
Of *course* she wanted to know. Duh.  
  
After five minutes of silence (Ami timed it) they reached the all-too- familiar Tsukino residence. Ikuko turned the doorknob just as a black limo screeched to halt in the street. IT backed up slowly, and then stopped in front of them. With a burst of action, a blue haired woman shot out of the car dragging a very short man. Two men and two women got out of the car more slowly.  
  
Ikuko blinked, and then smiled.  
  
"Bulma-chan!"  
  
The blue haired woman beamed. "Ikuko-chan!"  
  
They ran at each other and hugged, wailing and sobbing. The two women were acting like long departed friends. Very strange behavior for women who have never met.  
  
The short man grunted. "Shut up, baka woman. Onna, tell us about this demon living with the brats." He demanded.  
  
Ami spun on a sheepish looking Ikuko. Demon? Demon? Usagi was gone, Ikuko was meeting strange people, Usagi should not be seeing, and her family was alive when they shouldn't be. This could only mean one thing.  
  
"Usagi's been taken over by a demon!"  
  
Ikuko sighed and rubbed her temples. "Not exactly, but sort of. This will take a while to explain, Ami. Of course, you have a few things to explain yourself. Bulma-chan, come inside. We will discuss everything."  
  
Ami winced, and followed Ikuko inside, trailed by Bulma and the others. Usagi's mother showed them to the living room where they all stood, rather awkwardly. Ikuko smiled at them all.  
  
"Sit, please!"  
  
Everyone sat. Wow. Amazing, huh?  
  
"So, Ami, care to explain your history as Sailor Scout, and what happened to make you ostracize Usa-chan like that?"  
  
All eyes turned to the uncomfortable Ami. She flushed and gulped what she was certain was her last breath of air and tossed a prayer to whatever god was up there.  
  
"Well, it goes like this, ma'am…."  
  
"And so," Ami gasped out an hour later, "We asked her to step down. She wouldn't give up the crystal, so we took it from her. Then she changed."  
  
Bulma folded her hands. "So you're not human?"  
  
"No ma'am, and yes ma'am."  
  
"Say what?"  
  
"Well," Ami explained, "when transformed I revert to 100% Mercurian, and like this, I'm 100% human. However, now it's your turn. Where on Earth is Usagi?"  
  
Ikuko traded a look with Bulma. "Well, she's in a correctional summer camp. Apparently, she is also 100% demon, Ami."  
  
THUMP  
  
Gohan looked down at Ami, and then looked at his father, mother, Bulma, and Ikuko all in turn. He checked her pulse, and looked back up at them dubiously.  
  
"Was she supposed to faint?"  
  
Camp on Lake Nerima (I need a name!)  
  
Early Morning  
  
Usagi and Lorraine huddled under the innocently sleeping Trunks' bed, hoping to god that when the horns sounded, Tsuzumi wouldn't head right for the flagpole like she usually did every morning. Why, oh why had she done it? Usagi was afraid for her life. Lorraine was afraid for her life. You know, it's the whole guilty by association.  
  
DUM DUM DUMDUMDUM DUM DUM DUM DUM!!!!!!!!  
  
They clutched their heads as they heard noise above them. Trunks rolled over in his bed and groaned. Everything was silent for five minutes, when a number of things happened.  
  
Trunks mumbled "Lorraine" in his sleep, making Lorraine squeal loudly right as Shiro came busting into the boy's half of the cabin in a rage.  
  
"TSUKINO, DUPONT! TODAY YOU MEET YOUR DOOM!"  
  
And then she dived under the bed to kill the two girls, for she had seen her My Little Pony underwear and her numerous bras of assorted colors waving proudly in the wind on the flagpole.  
  
But that had been in the morning. Now it was afternoon, and she had spent a full half-day running from Shiro. Screaming, too. Now she was thirsty, tired, and she wanted food.  
  
Now don't get me wrong, Usagi liked her life.  
  
Honest to god, she did. There was probably only one thing she didn't like, however, and she was finding that running through the woods screaming was becoming a common nighttime activity. But more infrequently, and worse, was when she was hung upside down over a boiling pot of water.  
  
But that wasn't happening either.  
  
What *was* happening was that she was being screamed at by a drill sergeant, and she was quickly deciding that she wasn't too fond of the experience. Ick.  
  
He spit, too.  
  
"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" he roared in her ear.  
  
She waited until the ringing went away, and then nodded. "Yep."  
  
Of course, this got him started all over again. Apparently the lecture that she had been ignoring was on saying "yes sir" and "no sir". Maybe she should have listened.  
  
Then she gave him the finger, and he got all revved up again. The bunny almost broke down laughing right there. It was just too much fun.  
  
It was just too much goddamned fun.  
  
Five minutes later…  
  
Okay, this really wasn't too much fun. She had been assigned one hundred pushups, and the guy was still standing above her, screaming his lungs out. Wasn't there a disease that comes from yelling too much, or putting yourself under too much stress?  
  
'Yeah,' her mind snickered, 'it's called death. You could pop a vein or something….  
  
"TSUKINO, USAGI!" someone yelled. "MAIN OFFICE, RIGHT NOW!"  
  
Yes! God still did love her, unless it was the Devil saving her right now! She leaped up and flashed a perfect smile at him. The man just glared at her.  
  
"Thank you soooo much, dear, but I'm afraid we have to cut our meeting short! Toodles!"  
  
She gave him a peck on the cheek and zoomed off, leaving the poor man wondering whether he should be happy or completely pissed off.  
  
He decided to be happy. It was really so much healthier, he thought as he succumbed to weak knees. The man collapsed onto a dead tree and smiled dreamily off into space.  
  
Down the road quite some ways, Usagi was running at full tilt towards the office. Really, if she aimed it just right, she could twist the doorknob and summersault into the room…. She adjusted her angle a bit and grinned. This was it! This was it! Ahhhh!!!! Ahhhh!!! OPENING DOOR!  
  
"BONZAI!" she hollered as she went in for the rolls anyways, totally plowing down whoever was opening the door.  
  
They all went down with a thud, but Usagi, being somewhat like a pogo stick, jumped right back up and ran into the office, not even out of breath.  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Whatsyourface, I got called here?"  
  
The woman glared at the smiling blonde, and pointed towards the door where a disheveled Setsuna was smiling at the horrified Usagi.  
  
The blonde panicked and picked up the closest thing to her. A vase. She was ready to hurtle it at the smiling green haired woman when something gripped her mind. There was a feeling like a bubble sliding into her mind, and then taking her over.  
  
Usagi wheeled around and smiled sweetly at the secretary.  
  
"Thank you for everything you've done for me, ma'am. Bye!"  
  
The shocked woman waved after her weekly, wondering what was better. The brutally honest Usagi who wore her emotions on her sleeve, or the sweet one that made you feel like you were drowning in honey….  
  
Setsuna took Usagi's arm and guided her out of the building and towards the car. Usagi's heart did this awful flip-flop squeeze thing, and she honestly felt like she was going to die. What right did Setsuna have to do this to her? She was just like Diamond! Just like every single other goddamned person WHO DIDN'T UNDERSTAND!  
  
White-hot rage exploded in her mind, and she began to see red. The happy before-the-fire-Usagi-bubble popped, and Usagi was her own, pissed off self again.  
  
"GET YOU FUCKING HANDS OFF ME, YOU MOTHER FUCKING BITCH!" Usagi screamed.  
  
Heads all across campus turned. Duo, Wufei, and Hiiro among them. Lorraine, Nick, and the rest in Cabin Ten sprinted over to see who Usagi was screaming at this time.  
  
Lorraine stood beside Usagi, who was beginning to glow a fiery red. Nick, Trunks, Goten, and Bleac flanked her. Nick fixed the surprised Setsuna with a glare that could freeze fire.  
  
"What the hell do you want with Usagi?"  
  
The fire erupted around Usagi's body. Her eyes glowed an unreal blue, and her lips were twisted into a furious scowl.  
  
"She tried to take over my mind and force me back into a life that I don't want."  
  
Setsuna smiled inwardly. She had warned Serenity that her daughter wasn't going to take kindly to abduction, but no! Don't listen to the Guardian of Time, who, by the way, has been around much longer than the Queen! But for the sake of form, she tried to argue her case.  
  
"Usagi-hime, I'm following your mother's orders. She outranks both of us. Now come along, before the future is utterly devastated beyond repair."  
  
Usagi's voice was cold. "Then, as Cosmos, Serenity, and a demon, I order you to get the hell out of my face."  
  
Setsuna nodded once. "Hai. Sayonara, Usagi-hime. I'll tell your mother, you realize."  
  
Usagi just stared at her. "Get the fuck out of my face."  
  
She suddenly morphed into Sailor Pluto and faded away. Usagi's red aura suddenly disappeared and she let out a huge sigh. Wiping a hand across her forehead, she turned to face Lorraine and the others. There were all looking at her expectantly.  
  
"Explanation, right?"  
  
Everyone nodded silently. Except for Lorraine, who let out a huge whoop.  
  
"That was so fucking COOL!" 


	5. Chapter Five

Good Riddance  
  
Author's Note: I only have a few things to say. One, Sailor Moon is not mine. Two, Gundam Wing is not mine. Three, Ranma ½ is not mine. Four, Dragonball Z is not mine. Five, if I have anything else in here besides those animes, they're not mine either.  
  
And now, my tip for a happy life: Don't eat poppy-seed muffins before drug tests. It's a bad, bad thing.  
  
Previously in our beloved Camp Happy Pines, Usagi had her first run-in indirectly with her pissed mother (Serenity) and a rather more direct conflict with the poor Sailor Pluto. Lorraine summarized the experience with a choice phrase ("That was so fucking COOL!"). Now, after Setsuna's collection of our bunny has been foiled, what to do now? What is the Z- gang doing in Tokyo. Will Usagi and Lorraine succumb to boredom? Will Nick abandon his freakish ways? Will Tsuzumi have a change of heart and become friends? Will this whole story stop here? Will the readers vote on the pairings?  
  
Audience: NO!  
  
{Silence, then a small voice}  
  
Small Voice: yes Crazy-sama! We will vote! But forget the other crap, that's just shit.  
  
Audience: YEAH! ON WITH THE STORY!  
  
*  
  
*  
  
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*  
  
"Place: Camp Happy Pines, Cabin 10."  
  
"Time: Approximately midnight."  
  
"Date: How the hell should I know? God, we've been holed up in this crap for a camp for years!"  
  
"Lorraine."  
  
"Uh-huh?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Okay. NICK!!!!" she screeched.  
  
Usagi and Bleac (pronounced "black", if y'all were having trouble) clapped their hands over their ears. There was really nothing worse than one of Lorraine's screams. Apparently the boys thought so too, because they all hurried out of their half of the cabin swearing loudly.  
  
Nick glared at her furiously. "Lorra-baka, you asked for it!"  
  
He whipped out a TV remote and pointed it at her. He held this pose before stabbing a button repeatedly. The boy's eyes were wide and crazed, and he began to laugh manically.  
  
"Uh, Nick? What are you doing?"  
  
"Damn! The mute button doesn't work!"  
  
***Author's Note: AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! I LOVE THIS SONG! Jimmy Eat World, The Middle. Sorry, all.***  
  
Usagi stared at him and then grabbed his wrist. The energetic blonde whooped and catapulted herself out the door. Lorraine laughed and ran after them. Trunks smirked at Goten, and they each grabbed an air mattress and sprinted after the running teens.  
  
They ran for about a half-hour straight, until they reached the shore of the cold, dark lake. Bleac set the boom box down on the dock and hit power. Jimmy Eat World blared out at them, creating a nice, *healthy* high within minutes. Trunks and Goten threw the mattresses onto the water and everyone leaped off the dock onto one of the two floaties.  
  
Everyone was asleep within seconds, but Usagi stared up at the moon. She put her hands behind her head and smirked at the floating silver rock. The bunny gave it the finger, and, feeling much better, rolled over and fell asleep.  
  
Trunks was pretty damn happy. When he was younger, he had to deal with the crap his dad shoved at him, and then as he got older, he had to deal with the expectations of the Z-Senshi, which wasn't fun. His dad was always pushing him to be better than Goten, so when Goten had appeared with drugs, he had figured that it was a relatively easy way out of his problems. I mean, come on. Who is gonna ask a druggie to save the world?  
  
But his brilliant plan backfired and flung him all the way to this awful, hellish camp. Trunks had heard stories about hardcore punks coming out docile as kittens. Frankly, he was scared enough to crap his pants. Ick. Not a lovely sight. But really, he was okay with the way his life was going. He was tight with a great group of people, and they were screwed up, just like him. Some more than most…  
  
[Image if Chibi Lorraine and Chibi Usagi running around screaming and being chased by Chibi Tsuzumi]  
  
But that was okay. The only thing that really, ever pissed him off was being woken up by someone screaming. Unfortunately, such things were becoming distressingly common.  
  
"Aaaaaiiiiiiieeeeeeeee!"  
  
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"  
  
"I'M DROWNING USAGI, YOU FAT MORON! YOU ARE *NOT* SUPPOSED TO BE LAUGING!"  
  
Usagi fell over on her side, still laughing. Lorraine splashed around in the water, screaming at Usagi to "shut the hell up and help me". Usagi paused, stared at Lorraine like she had never seen her before, and then busted up laughing.  
  
Now, normally this wouldn't be a problem. Normally, Trunks would be laughing with Usagi and being screamed at by Lorraine. But it was morning, and a certain lavender haired boy wasn't a morning person. Trunks sat up, pulled his hair back into a ponytail and crawled over to Usagi. After careful positioning, he connected his foot with her cute ass.  
  
"Aaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"  
  
There was about one second of dead silence, until Lorraine burst out laughing. Usagi growled at Trunks. Then she rounded on Lorraine and glared at her. Without a second thought, Usagi flipped and dove down into the water.  
  
"Where is it?" she thought to herself.  
  
It *had* to be here somewhere. She just felt it a second ago. Hum dee dum…goddamn, why couldn't se have a normal morning? Well, one part of her mind argued, you don't have to do this. *Normal* people don't go looking for trouble. I'm not looking for trouble, her mind shot back angrily.  
  
Why the hell was her life so complicated?  
  
Frowning slightly, she swam deeper, never quite realizing when she took a small breath and didn't drown. Hm. I'm guessing that teenagers have a remarkable talent overlooking things. Kind of like moms.  
  
[Image of Chibi Ikuko: "Oh my god, my baby's running around town in a really short MINISKIRT!"]  
  
All around her, blue and white shifted around her, creating illusions that things were there that really weren't. She decided to ignore everything around her and focus on the energy signature. She was *going* to get that gem, even if it meant actually looking for trouble.  
  
The pressure suddenly changed around her, and she whipped around. Behind her was a mermaid. No, it was more like a little girl. Like six or seven. Goddamn it. Now she was going to get all guilty.  
  
The little girl smiled at her.  
  
"Hi! I'm Aria. You aren't a mermaid. You're a demon. I've seen you before. You're the one training with the bad man."  
  
Wa-a-a-ait. Bad man? Bad man? She was training with the bad man? Eeep. "Bad man?" she asked nervously.  
  
Aria nodded. "Hai, he's a bad man. He'd done bad things to magical folk like us. I have a cousin who's a leprechaun, and he says that he bottles them and uses them as a power drink."  
  
The little mermaid shivered. "It's awful. You know," she said looking at Usagi with big, curious eyes, "Momma says I'm not allowed to talk to demons or humans. But you don't seem all that horrible."  
  
"Thanks," Usagi said dryly. "But you better follow you Ma's advice. There are all sorts of good reasons to avoid people like me. Humans are lying, cheating, stealing, backstabbing bastards, and demons are just bad news. They can do good things, but always at a price."  
  
The little mermaid rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she snorted as she swam away.  
  
Usagi kept a nice smile on her face until Aria was out of sight. Then she slapped herself hard five times. We're not talking oh wow, silly me slaps.  
  
"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!" she yelled at herself.  
  
She exhaled in a stream of bubbles and pushed off towards the surface. The blonde was, to say the least, mildly put off when something grabbed her ankle. Usagi looked down and stared at the green tentacle wrapped around her bare foot.  
  
Below her, something moved.  
  
Above the surface, Lorraine was sitting on one of the air mattresses with Trunks and Nick. They were all looking down into the water. Try as they might, they couldn't catch a glimpse of Usagi's screwy pigtails.  
  
"Well, " Lorraine finally commented, "it's dark."  
  
"It's blue." Nick said.  
  
"It's cold." Trunks noted.  
  
"Where's Bunny?" Ranma yelled over at them.  
  
Lorraine, Trunks, and Nick pretended to ignore him, and resumed staring at the water. It was really very peaceful. Sort of. In a weird sort of way. Not that anything was destined to be peaceful for long at CHP.  
  
They sat in silence for a while longer until a huge beam of energy rocketed out of the water. Lorraine shaded her eyes and craned her neck to follow the beam all the way up into the sky. Ranma ginned at them and waved.  
  
"Never mind! There she is!"  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"  
  
Usagi came plummeting from the sky waving her arms and legs frantically. If you're not used to flying, you tend to forget that you even *can* fly. And it's really so much more romantic to be saved. Or not, she thought as she hit the water head on.  
  
A few seconds later she bobbed to the top of the water and spewed a crap load of water out her mouth.  
  
Goten cupped his hands around his mouth.  
  
"Having fun out there, Bunny?"  
  
Usagi coughed some more, and waved at them, still bobbing up and down in the water. They listened hard as her voice came floating across the lake.  
  
"Oh yeah, loads of fun. **cough**cough** Loads of fun."  
  
FUN??? Did it LOOK like she was having fun? Ugh. People these days, she thought angrily. STUPID! AND I DIDN'T EVEN GET A GEM! Grrrrrrrr.  
  
Usagi was very wet, very unhappy bunny. She began to swim towards the nearest raft, which just so happened to have Goten and Ranma on it. The bunny smirked as she thought back to Tsuzumi and Lexie asleep in the cabin. How boring could they be? Never mind the fact that the lake was specifically off limits. But who cared? Not her!  
  
Ranma laughed down at her. "Hey Bunny, having problems?"  
  
She gripped the side of the raft. "No! No, of course not! No problems! Everything's peachy king!" she said sarcastically as she tried to drag herself onto the mattress. The floatation device swayed wildly, dipping back and forth under her weight on one side. Bleac looked nervous.  
  
"Bunny, let us help you! You're gonna tip the mattress!"  
  
"I don't need your help!"  
  
Goten broke in. "I think we should help anyways, before--- AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"  
  
Lorraine, Trunks, and Nick stared at the four soaking wet teens before busting up laughing. Goten flipped them off and turned to Usagi, who, despite her predicament, was laughing. Girl-Ranma wasn't looking happy, either.  
  
"I'm sorry **cough** I just **cough** think it's so **cough** funny!"  
  
"DIE!" Lorraine screamed.  
  
"But I didn't do anything to you!" Usagi yelped.  
  
"DIE!" Lorraine screamed again as she leaped off the raft and did a cannonball into the water. Usagi shrieked and ducked. Trunks and Nick gave each other high fives and dove into the water, splashing everyone around them. Needless to say, a very large water fight broke out.  
  
**Main Office, Camp Happy Pines**  
  
"Yes, of course. No, that's absurd. No, I'm not being rude, the idea is just absurd! No, ma'am, of course not. Yes. This is Relena Peacecraft, miss. No, it's alright. You still---? Oh. I see. No ma'am, she's safe and sound in the hands of a Meioh-san. What? You weren't aware that she was collected and is being driven back to Tokyo this minute? No? Well this Meioh Setsuna knew the password. Yes, I know. I'll look, if you feel that's necessary. Of course. No, he's alright too. Of course he's still here. You want me to look for him, too? Oh, all right. I'll look. Sayonara."  
  
Relena slammed down the phone and glared at the Gundam pilots, who were staring at her in shock that she could be so short with someone. The girl exhaled slowly and ground her teeth.  
  
"God save us from overprotective mothers. Gentlemen, it seems that someone has attempted to remove Tsukino Usagi from this camp without her mother's consent. Her mother, Tsukino Ikuko, seems convinced that her daughter is a demon, also. The owner of Capsule Corps, Bulma Briefs, claims to have evidence to support this theory. She is also worried about her son."  
  
Relena massaged her temples wearily. "Hiiro, Duo, would you go to their cabin and fetch them? Trunks and Usagi? They should be there, since James has called this a day off."  
  
"I'll go," Wufei volunteered unexpectedly.  
  
"I, too." Quatre said quietly.  
  
Trowa grunted and stood up, exiting the room. Relena stared after him and then nodded dumbly. The rest of the boys filed out after the Silent Wonder, wondering what it was about this camp that made everyone act kind of batty. Was it the clean, fresh air? Was it the feeling that you were better than the other teens there? Or was it just a certain foul mouthed, smart ass blondie?  
  
Relena smiled after they had left. Maybe they didn't notice, but they were becoming more and more human. In Relena's eyes, it was utterly impossible to have no emotions. Trowa felt, but didn't talk. She didn't think that was going to change, but if one could see his eyes, they'd know just how emotional Trowa could be. Wufei had an overload of emotions, and didn't know what to do with them, so he channeled it all into a bordering obsession with justice and power. Quatre was *very* emotional, maybe overly so. Duo, like Wufei, had an overload of the messy things called emotions, but unlike the Chinese boy, he knew exactly what to do with them. He flung them out at anyone and everyone, preferring the chance of death to a cold, blank life. Hiiro…she didn't understand. The girl could fairly feel the trapped emotions broiling under the surface of his mind, but it was like he was terrified to let that wave of feeling engulf him. He couldn't swim, he couldn't navigate that stormy sea, and he was scared to death of drowning.  
  
**Lake Nerima!!!!!!**  
  
"It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride! Everything, everything will be just fine, everything, everything will be alright (alright!) blah, blah, blah, HEY NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL STAR, GET YOUR GAME ON, GO PLAY! Hey now you're a rock star, get your show on, get paid! All that glitters is gold! Only shooting stars break the mo-o-o-old! Dum, dee, dum…And they say that a hero will save us, I'm not gonna stand here and wait…um…I'll hold on to the wings of an eagle…whatever comes after that…I think I'm singing it wrong, Bleac."  
  
The redhead looked over at the blonde. "Nooooo, really?"  
  
"Shut up!" Usagi yelled playfully as she wrung out her shirt.  
  
Lorraine twisted up her shirt and watched the water drip back into the lake. She untwisted it, and then did it back up again. Twist, untwist. Twist, untwist. Bleac and Usagi watched silently, sitting there on the dock in only their bras and underwear. Usagi blinked, shook her head, and turned to Bleac, who was wringing out her red curls.  
  
"How much do you want to bet that I'd hear a yelp if I threw this rock into those bushes over there?"  
  
Bleac winked a green eye at her. "Ten bucks. Those guys aren't *that* hentai."  
  
"Deal," Usagi said smirking as she recalled that night with Ranma on the girl's half of the cabin. God, that was fun. ANYWAYS. She picked up a rock, rolled it around in her palm, and then chucked it at the bushes.  
  
Sure enough, there was a yelp, and then Goten stuck his cute head up over the top of the bush, rubbing the back of his head tenderly.  
  
"What was that for, Bunny?"  
  
"Aw gee, I dunno. Pay up, Bleac."  
  
The Irish girl sighed and handed the grinning bunny a ten dollar bill. Usagi whooped and did her happy dance on the dock. Suddenly someone laughed. Usagi yelped in surprise and landed on her butt.  
  
"Ow…" she mumbled.  
  
Then she saw who was laughing, and she jumped up to hug him tightly. "Ohayo Duo-kun! Hii-kun! Fei-kun! Quat-kun! Trowa-kun!"  
  
"Uh, Usagi?" Trunks asked as he, too, rose form the bush. "You might want to think about getting some clothes on. (boy) Ranma's nose is bleeding."  
  
Usagi frowned down at her clothes and then grinned maliciously. She squealed and ran over to the bush. Reaching in, she got a hold of poor Ranma's neck and dragged him up.  
  
"Poor Ran-kun! You're poor nose is bleeding! Aw…give mommy a hug!" she giggled.  
  
She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly. His face went totally red when his oxygen deprived mind realized that he was being hugged by a hot girl wearing nothing but underwear and a bra. The black haired martial artist did the only thing he could have done in the circumstances.  
  
He passed out from blood loss.  
  
Usagi giggled and laid him down on the dock. Lorraine crossed over to them and nudged the swirly-eyed boy with her foot. No response. She grinned and gave Usagi a high five.  
  
"All right! We got 'im!"  
  
Then they proceeded to do their really happy dance. Trunks just rolled his eyes and picked Ranma up. He walked over to the edge of the dock. Usagi, Bleac, and Lorraine clutched each other and gasped identically.  
  
SPLASH  
  
Everyone waited with baited breath, and then a familiar redheaded girl leaped from the water, glowing with rage. Wait. Glowing? Usagi squealed and ran to hug the girl.  
  
"Ran-kun! You can glow too! We should start a club! "The Glowing People Club"!"  
  
Lorraine pouted. "But I can't glow *or* blow things up! That's not fair!"  
  
Usagi ran over to Lorraine and hugged her. "I'm sorry Lorra-chan! I wouldn't leave you out! That would just be mean."  
  
Ranma stomped past the crying girls and towards Trunks, who was laughing and saying something about Ranma being a girl anyways.  
  
"I HATE YOU!" Ranma roared.  
  
Trunks laughed. "Stop being such a girl!"  
  
She froze. "What did you say?" Ranma asked hoarsely.  
  
Trunks shrugged. "I told you to stop acting like a girl."  
  
"I AM A GUY!" she yelled as her aura blazed around her.  
  
Trunks' eyes narrowed. "So, you wanna fight?"  
  
He concentrated, and frowned. Because of drug use, Trunks was a lot weaker than he used to be. And because of that, Ranma was about as powerful as he was---in Super Sayin form. Trunks clenched his hands and let out a yell. His golden power flared around him, and he faced Ranma.  
  
Lorraine, Usagi, and Bleac instantly took up position as cheerleaders. Bleac decided to cheer for Ranma, and Lorraine for Trunks, while Usagi stayed neutral. I mean, come on! She couldn't take sides. They were her buds.  
  
"GO RANMA!" Bleac screamed. Then she paused and took a thermos out of her backpack. She walked over, dumped it over Ranma's head, and then retreated.  
  
"GO RANMA!" she screamed at the newly soaking wet boy.  
  
"Dude, I just called you a girl! I was joking, but I dunno. Now it kinda looks like you ARE a girl!" Trunks jeered.  
  
Of course that wasn't true, but Trunks was craving a fight. A Sayin does not feel good without the adrenaline of a fight humming in his veins. It's just a fact. So he ran at Ranma with a roar.  
  
The cheering was forgotten as they all stared at the two warriors. Usagi dropped the leaves she was using as pom-poms and just stared. Lorraine cleared her throat.  
  
"Um, Bunny, is this even possible? I mean, you glowing. Cool. The evil chick disappearing. Awesome. But this fighting…it's kinda scary."  
  
Usagi and Bleac stared at her. Bleac whipped a thermometer out of god knows where and shoved it into Lorraine's mouth. Usagi got a Ranma's thermos and splashed some of the water on Lorraine's face.  
  
"What the hell was that for?" the black girl shrieked.  
  
Usagi beamed at her. "I'm sweating out the fever."  
  
"I'm checking to see how much your temperature has risen."  
  
Lorraine smacked Usagi upside the head. "Baka! I was just getting to it before you started throwing water at me and shoving goddamned plastic in my mouth! BUT ANYWAYS. As I was saying. It's just---"  
  
"So fucking COOL!" the three girls squealed.  
  
Then they turned back to watch the fight.  
  
A half hour later…  
  
They stared at the boys. They weren't even tired. Ranma's anger and Trunks' drive for a fight was fueling them on. Lorraine yawned and checked her watch. Then she rubbed her eyes and looked over at Bleac and Usagi who were standing there slack jawed.  
  
"Oh wow, look at that! They've been fighting for about…um, forty-five minutes! Co-o-o-o-ol. Now why don't they stop? I'm hungry!"  
  
As if on cue, Usagi's stomach grumbled. She looked down at it in surprise. "God, I'm hungry too! Guys! It's dinner time! Stop fighting!"  
  
Ranma didn't even look at her. "Are you joking? First off, I ain't taking orders from a girl! Second, he called me a girl!"  
  
Trunks smirked. "Yeah Bunny, if this is too intense for you, then go!"  
  
BAM!  
  
Ranma and Trunks stared at Usagi in shock from their comfy position in a tree. Usagi was looking at her fists in amazement.  
  
"Sweet! Now if I remember correctly, there were a few sexist comments that were said…."  
  
Ranma and Trunks looked at each other and gulped. They were going to die. But they would die valiantly! They would go down honorably! They would keep their pride to the death!  
  
"DON'T KILL ME!" they wailed.  
  
Duo broke in, somewhat unnerved. "Um, Bunny, Relena wants you. Something about demons, mothers, and kidnappings."  
  
"Yep, that's me!" she said cheerfully.  
  
Quatre smiled at Trunks. "You're to come, also. Your mother is worried."  
  
Trunks smacked his forehead. "How embarrassing," he muttered.  
  
Usagi patted him comfortingly on the shoulder. "It's okay Trunks-kun. My mom has a protectiveness problem too. I think it's just a mom thing. Wait, I know it's a mom thing," she said grinning.  
  
Trunks shrugged. "Whatever."  
  
"Let's go." Hiiro said gruffly.  
  
She snorted and followed him into the wood, wondering how on Earth her mother could have figured everything out. She knew she had almost been removed from the camp and was a demon. Now what would top it all would be that she was Sailor Moon. God, if she knew everything else, she might as well tell her mom anyways.  
  
With these happy thoughts, Usagi and Trunks made their way to the main office without making a sound. A door opening broke Usagi's thoughts, and she was faced with the doorway to the main office. Her eyes went big and she burst into tears. If she played this right, she could even get out of talking to her mother!  
  
Wufei looked at irritably. "Why are you crying, baka onna?"  
  
"I'm scared to go in there! I WAS ALMOST KIDNAPPED GODDAMN IT!"  
  
Hiiro grabbed her arm and propelled her into the building. "Tough." He said coldly.  
  
Usagi scowled and turned the waterworks off. Baka. Didn't he have *any* sense of…um, kindness? She sneaked a peek at his profile and shook her head resolutely. Nope. No kindness. But he was one hell of a kisser…she thought dreamily. She and Trunks were show into Relena's office without delay. The pacifist smiled at them warmly.  
  
"Ohayo Usagi. Nice to meet you Trunks."  
  
They just stared at her with those dead, sullen eyes. Relena sighed inaudibly and pushed away from her desk. She picked up the phone and handed it to Usagi.  
  
"Call your mother."  
  
Surly blue eyes stared at her, and then Usagi's perfectly manicured hand took the phone. She dialed a number at supersonic speed, cracked a smile at Trunks, and then waited for the person to pick up.  
  
"Hey Shingo. Two things. One, burn the teddy-bear Orion that I gave to you. Second, put Mom on the phone. Oh, hi mom. What do you want? Of course I'm fine. No, don't come get me. I like it better here. No---I said no! Fuck off!"  
  
Then she hit the power button and calmly handed the phone back to the shocked Relena, who mutely gave it to Trunks.  
  
"Dial the Hikari Hotel and ask for room 392." She gave him a slip of paper with the number on it.  
  
He took the number and sighed. Then he dialed the number, a great deal more slowly than Usagi had before him. He wasn't really looking forward to talking to his parents. Not fun.  
  
"Uh, give me room 392. What do you want Mom? Is Bunny a demon? Yeah, I'd say so. No. I'm fine. No, yes, yes, no. Is that all? No, you don't need to put Dad on---goddamn it, why do you have to talk to me too? I'll smart ass you if I damn well want to! Yeah, I am, for all you give a fuck!"  
  
Then he hung up, looking genuinely pissed. Relena took the phone and silently showed them the door. Once the teens had exited, she turned back to the smirking pilots. Well, only Duo was smirking. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed.  
  
"These kids scare the living daylights out of me," she said weakly.  
  
**Outside**  
  
"So, Bunny, what did your mom want?"  
  
Usagi shrugged. "Dunno. I didn't call."  
  
Trunks stopped in the road and stared at her. Usagi finally realized that he wasn't there anymore and turned around. She spotted him standing there a few feet back and trudged back to him.  
  
"What's your problem?"  
  
"I heard you talk to her!" he sputtered.  
  
Usagi threw her head back and laughed. "Tunks, if you had picked up another phone, you would have heard a boy my age swearing at me for not calling and not telling him where I was. I use him all the time as my mom. Works wonders."  
  
Then she began walking again. Trunks threw up his hands and followed her. Suddenly she grinned at him and lifted off into the air.  
  
"Hey Trunks, we can go faster if we fly," she said laughing as she rocketed into the clouds.  
  
Trunks laughed too and burst into the air, playing a brand new type of tag. Up, down, left, right, forwards, and backwards. A crap load of fun, really.  
  
**At the lake**  
  
ZOOM!  
  
Lorraine looked up and waved. "Oh look! There's Trunks and Bunny! OVER HERE!"  
  
Bleac sighed and shaded her eyes. Then her jaw dropped and she grabbed Lorraine's neck. "OH MY FUCKING GOD!!! THEY'RE FLYING!"  
  
"Yep! Isn't it cool? Ya think they'll save us?"  
  
"THEY'RE FLYING! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! DOES NOTHING SCARE YOU?"  
  
Lorraine shook her head cheerfully. "Nope! TRUNKS! USAGI!!! SAVE US!"  
  
Why, you are asking, do they need to be saved? Well, readers, let me tell you.  
  
(five minutes before)  
  
Lorraine poked Goten.  
  
"Does that hurt?"  
  
"No."  
  
She did it again.  
  
"Did that hurt?"  
  
"No."  
  
She did it again. And again. And again. And again. You get the point. Now, let's review the situation. Bleac had downed a whole bag of M&Ms, and was currently bouncing around the dock singing "The Witch Doctor". Goten and Ranma were still wet, and Lorraine was doing the whole poking thing. Not to mention the fact that since the girls had hidden their clothes, the boys were stranded in boxers watching half naked (bras and underwear, folks) girls bounce around doing annoying things.  
  
Finally, it was too much. Goten and Ranma attacked the girls, tied them inside one of the mattresses, and kicked them to the other side of the lake.  
  
Which would explain why they needed to be saved.  
  
They were drifting into the realm of the….DUM DUM DUM! Girl Scouts.  
  
**Author's Note: Please remember that I have absolutely nothing against the Girl Scouts, they have yummy cookies. But I was thinking "delinquent's opposite" and then came up with Girl Scouts. DON'T HURT ME! *ducks cookie boxes being thrown by angry Girl Scouts***  
  
(present)  
  
Usagi swooped down low and stared hard at the floating bundle of squirming girls. She could make out Lorraine and Bleac tied up in an…air mattress. God Almighty…. She burst out laughing, and promptly fell into the water. The bunny bounced back to the surface and gasped for air. Then she swam over to the air mattress. Still laughing, she clutched the sides of it.  
  
"Lord, what'd you do?"  
  
"Look out!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Usagi! Save youself! We're in Girl Scout territory!"  
  
Usagi gasped and turned around. Sure enough, a row boat was rowing towards them at top speed. Her mouth went dry. Her mother had tried to get her into Girl Scouts once. Thank God she was already in band and dance, so she didn't have enough time. Ugh. Girl Scouts. The name just sent shivers down her back. Then she got an idea.  
  
By the time the Girl Scout troop had surrounded them, the three girls were very calmly tanning themselves on an unrolled air mattress (wearing nothing but their undergarments, by the way) Of course, this was the novelty of her plan. Usagi's plan was to totally horrify the Girl Scouts.  
  
One woman paddled over to them angrily.  
  
"Young ladies, you know that you're not supposed to be out here without an adult supervisor! And in such disgraceful attire!"  
  
Usagi propped her head up on her arm. "Done? Good. Lady, I'm not from this fucked up camp."  
  
The woman sniffed. "Of course you are. There aren't any more camps here at this time of year! Now get in the boat."  
  
Lorraine laughed mockingly. "Lady, we're tellin' ya. We aren't Girl Scouts. And there is one other camp around."  
  
"Ever heard of Camp Happy Pines?" Bleac asked leisurely.  
  
"Yes, that's the camp for teens with problems! Are you suggesting that you three are from that camp? You do have bad attitudes, but that's absurd."  
  
Usagi stretched. "Oh really? Well, our trainers brand us, as a little reminder of the camp. Wanna see?"  
  
With that, all three proudly displayed their matching tattoos. It was of a dove, yes, but the dove was burning, and it was black.  
  
"Sayonara."  
  
Then Trunks and Goten dropped from the sky and lifted the air mattress into the air. They hovered for a moment, and then flew away. When they were a safe distance away, they burst out laughing.  
  
"Did you see their faces?"  
  
"THAT WAS GREAT!"  
  
"Yeah, that's all well and good, but…"  
  
Everyone turned to Trunks in confusion. That had been great! Why was he all…blah? Usagi cocked her head.  
  
"What is it, Trunks?"  
  
"Well, since when do we have a fucked up looking guy standing on the lake?"  
  
Everyone turned around to look at what Trunks was staring at. It was a man, yes. But he had silver hair, purple eyes, and was wearing armor. The man smiled, displaying perfectly white teeth.  
  
"Hello Serenity."  
  
Usagi's mouth dropped open. It was Prince Diamond. She screamed, and then launched herself into his arms. He caught her in the nick of time, and hugged her. She pulled back and smiled at him.  
  
"Ohayo nii-chan! What are you doing here?"  
  
Diamond smiled. "Well, I sensed the change in your energy. Is it true?"  
  
She nodded. "I'm afraid so, but you wouldn't drag yourself out of Hell just to check up on that. Why are you here?"  
  
The man sighed. "Well…if you have to ask…it's a special day, Usagi."  
  
Usagi frowned. "Really?"  
  
"Yes. Here's what I came up to say. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, USAGI!"  
  
She shrieked as she suddenly found herself on the dock. There, before her, was a huge mountain of birthday presents. She screamed in joy and dove at the pile, burying her upper body in gifts. Then she saw two familiar faces.  
  
"Ran-kun? Nick-kun? What are you doing in my presents?"  
  
"Oh, just hanging out."  
  
"Okay, then. IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!"  
  
Suddenly she heard the click of a safety going off. She spun and found herself faced with a squad of police. They all had their guns leveled at her.  
  
"Turn around and place your hands on your head." 


	6. Chapter Six

Good Riddance  
  
Chapter Six  
  
  
  
"Turn around and place you hands on your head."  
  
Usagi spun around in surprise when she heard the strange, muffled voices. She blanched when she saw the police lined up in a neat line. They acted like they were dealing with a terrorist, or something. God, they even had shields, and masks…and guns…big…evil looking guns. Well, any gun was evil if it was pointed at her. What would you think, really? Her mind raced through several possible escapes, and then settled on her favorite. Innocent little girl.  
  
There was actually a story behind that look. See, a long time ago, way back in Ancient America, back when the natives of North America were free, there was a girl named Little Deer. Now, one day when a rival Native American came around looking for the trail, he didn't realize that she was part of the tribe he was looking to kill. He asked her for directions, and pretending like she was truthful, she gave him wrong directions. Well, he found out, and they ended up getting married anyways. Which isn't the point. The point is that bull shiting your way out of something works wonders.  
  
So. The innocent face. She took a step backwards and put her hand over her heart, as if she was trying to keep it from flying out of her chest.  
  
"N-Nani?"  
  
She took another step backwards. The police didn't even flinch. They just kept their guns trained on the blonde, held in the grim knowledge that she would kill them if given the chance.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
One policeman stepped forward. "Tsukino Usagi, we've got warrant for your arrest."  
  
Usagi's stomach lurched as she realized that, finally, after so many failed attempts to find her, they had finally done it. Her heart sank like a stone, and she realized the crushing truth. The jig was up.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Daniel Watson was having a really bad day. We're not talking about the "Spilled my coffee on my damn pants in the middle of a meeting before going in for a job interview," bad day. We're talking the "my grandmother got run over by a car, my sister was the driver, I'm breaking up with my girl, oh my fucking god I'm going to die" kind of bad day. The *really* bad sort of day.  
  
He had woken up in his crappy excuse for a New York apartment to his girlfriend screaming at him that it was over. He had gotten up and asked why. She had screeched that he knew damn well why, and then flew out the door. He honestly thought it was some sort of female conspiracy. Once they got tired of a guy, they scream a bit and tell them that they know why she's leaving (even though there *is* no reason), and then fly out the door in a rage. After they're a few blocks away, they become their usual, deceptive female (SCARY) selves again.  
  
After that rather traumatic wake up call, he was phoned by his boss, telling him that they had pinpointed the location of a known, or unknown (depending on how you thought of it) computer terrorist, and to get his lazy ass down there. So he had shaved, cut himself, threw some clothes on, and dragged himself down to the station. It took him an hour since he was so tired, and he was too damned poor to buy a car. At least he had a top- of-the-line bike. He had too much money to buy a bad bike, and too little to buy a bad car. So he just settled with a good bike. And God, did his bike kick ass.  
  
Anyways.  
  
As he was biking over, he had to single-handedly arrest a drug dealer which further delayed him. When he finally showed his haggard face at the station, he was instantly the recipient of a scathing lecture.  
  
Now he and nine other cops were on a crap-for-a-plane with bad food and ugly attendants, headed for Nerima. Once they got to Nerima, they were to find a woman called Tsukino Usagi, a well/badly known electronic terrorist. They were to pick her up and bring her to some guy…Natoku…goddamn, he couldn't even pronounce his damn Japanese name.  
  
Daniel sighed, rubbed his eyes wearily, imagined the jet-lag he would feel, and groaned.  
  
He wouldn't be a cop again even if he was paid a million dollars.  
  
The man sighed and rummaged around in the seat pocket for any magazines or books that he could possibly read. His reaching fingers found a book and pulled it out. Unfortunately, it had no illustrated cover. Damn. Daniel flipped to a random page and began to read.  
  
"Miranda moaned in pleasure as Sergio moved above her, eyes wild with desire…."  
  
Daniel's cheeks flamed, and he hurriedly stuffed the book back, before yanking out another book. "The Iliad", by Homer. Was that where they got Homer Simpson from? They weren't at all alike, but still…  
  
**  
  
"Beer, beer, beer, beer, gimme that be-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-r!" Usagi and the other men sang.  
  
A few more drinks, Usagi thought smirking, and they would be totally plastered. Then she could make a break for it. Say, why didn't Diamond come rescue her? He was the one that made her go back to the dock, anyways.  
  
She gasped, but no one noticed. She smiled and then frowned. When she first went blind, she had almost gone on a killing spree. She had lost her sight, her friends, and technically, her family too. Not to mention her soul. Diamond had showed up in her dreams, and after the initial wariness, had become great friends. As the months passed, and Usagi regressed into her shell, Diamond had become more like the brother that she never had. True, she had Shingo, but he was her adopted brother. She had always really felt the rift, but it became more and more noticeable as her life went down the crap hole.  
  
So Diamond was her only anchor to sanity. He was the only thing keeping her from going off the deep end and plunging into the beckoning madness. The madness was still there, of course, like a black cloud, waiting to engulf her. Waiting to catch her unawares and swallow her whole. She knew she was strong enough to beat it, which came with another fact. If it ever closed around her, it would be because she just didn't give a damn anymore. Which was really the only thing she was scared of.  
  
But what if he had betrayed her? What if he was working against her? Would she lose everything she fought so hard to gain? Her thoughts screeched to a halt, and she gave herself a mental smack. She was NOT supposed to be thinking about that! Actually, scratch that. She *was* supposed to be thinking about that, but she didn't want to. She wanted to live in the moment!  
  
Usagi jumped up, and blinked when she realized when all the cops were drunk. Except for one, who was looking exceptionally miserable. Now why on Earth would he look like that? He had just helped to capture one of the world's greatest (most annoying) terrorists since…well, a long time ago. There was only one super big war going on right now, and that was between Oz and the Gundams. And Relena…and who ever else was on the good guy's side. Usagi never really paid much attention to politics. But that wasn't the point. The point was this: he had caught a terrorist and there was only one war…so why the hell was the guy so depressed?  
  
She dropped her pose, frowning at the clothes they gave her. She was currently wearing a snug pink (ICK) tank top, jean shorts, and white sneakers. They had picked them up at the Old Navy (which, by the way, is a great place to get flip-flops). Ugh. If it wasn't black, red, or navy blue, she hated it. Nevertheless, she swallowed her meager pride and walked over to him, checking her reflection to make sure her adorably kawaii pigtails were in order. They were, so she proceeded.  
  
"What's wrong with *you*?"  
  
***  
  
Daniel was still having a bad day. When they had trooped out of the plane to find himself at the gates of Camp Happy Pines (even Americans had heard of it), he almost fainted. No one had said that their target was a kid! Why the fuck did the damn guy want a messed up teen for? Duh, his mind sneered, she's a world-class computer hacker. Above the last one that they couldn't find. The only reason they couldn't find Blue Bubble (weird name) was because it hadn't made any new moves. Black Bunny (another weird name) had made a recent move, and so they could trace her. They had a name now, besides Black Bunny. Tsukino Usagi.  
  
He followed everyone into the camp and stormed through to the lake. Once there they found the girl squealing at all her presents. The look on her face reminded him of his daughter's…before she was taken away…. It would have been her birthday today. He just wished he could see her once more. Daniel knew damn well that he had been abusive. That was a bad trait that he had expelled from his system, but there was no real way to make the courts believe that. God, he didn't even know where the Japs had stashed the poor girl.  
  
Jesus Christ, he hated Japan.  
  
So they had grabbed the girl, loaded her into the plane, bought her some clothes, and took off for America. The girl had promptly gotten everyone drunk, and then began to brood. After brooding for a while, her pretty face was suddenly shoved into his, and she was demanding to know what was wrong with him. Rudely.  
  
He frowned at her, and then decided to respond. "I'm just having a bad day."  
  
The girl snorted and rocked back on her heels. "You don't know the meaning of a bad day." She sighed, and fell backwards onto her butt. "You have no idea what the hell a bad day is. Have you been to hell?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Have you died?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Have you been adopted, and then have your parents die and your friends dump you because you went blind in the same goddamned fire that killed you fucking parents?"  
  
"Watch the language."  
  
"You've heard worse, so don't tell me what to do. I don't listen to my parents, so why the hell should I listen to you?"  
  
Her question wasn't exactly accusing. It was actually more curious than anything else. Like she really wanted to know why she ought to listen to him. Unfortunately, no one ever came up with that answer. So he sat there, looking somewhat like a fish. She smiled brightly and nodded decisively.  
  
"I thought so."  
  
He frowned at her. "Why the bad attitude?" He hated smart asses.  
  
She smiled brightly. "I prefer to think of it as an objective outlook on life."  
  
"A bad attitude."  
  
"Nope! A bad attitude would be more like "Oh god I hate everyone, I wanna die, die, die, or kill, kill, kill! Lemme at 'em, I'll rip 'em apart." That's a bad attitude. Now, my attitude is more like "No one understands, I hate preps, Ami, Minako, Mia, Rei, Makoto, and Mamoru. I wanna kill them. I love my friends. I like life a lot. But I don't want to talk to anyone that doesn't understand. They don't like me anyways, so why should I talk to them or be nice?"  
  
Daniel blinked. Did she seriously think that the people sending her to that camp didn't like her? They *did* like her, and that was why they were sending her to the camp. He decided this awful girl needed to be enlightened.  
  
"No one hates you. Your parents sent you to that camp because they wanted a nice, happy girl."  
  
Usagi snorted in contempt and leaned against the wall next to him. "Bull shit. Everyone preaches that we should be accepting of the way people are, right? And you agree that things happen to change people, right? Well, that fire sure as hell changed my life. I *am* happy, moron. Well, not at this particular moment, but I was happy at the camp. I had my friends, and I had my enemies. And isn't that kind of being hypocritical when you try to change someone back to the way they were before their trauma? What if that happened any time something happened, just because society didn't agree with you? Everyone would be…blah, because no one would ever learn from mistakes or right choices. Wishing for a reverse change totally defeats the purpose."  
  
He blinked. Daniel didn't want to admit it, but the girl was making a weird kind of twisted sense. Ack. There was a reason why he failed debate. A *good* reason. Realizing he was at a disadvantage, he changed the subject.  
  
"Beautiful day."  
  
Usagi almost laughed out loud when he said that. The poor man didn't have a chance. But, out of the kindness of her heart, she decided to change the subject on him. After all, it wasn't beautiful at all. It looked kind of like God crapped all over the sky.  
  
"Can you sing?"  
  
He looked a bit lost, so she waited politely as he collected himself. If she was expecting an outpouring of his musical life, she was sadly mistaken. Very sadly mistaken. So sadly mistaken, she wanted to bash his head against something.  
  
He shook his head. "Nope. You?"  
  
Ah. So he was a genius at conversation. Fabulous.  
  
**Author's Note: Okay ppl, I figured this was the only way to get your attention. So here we go. VOTE FOR COUPLES! So far two people have voted, and it's Usa/Nick and Usa/Wufei. I have nothing for Lorraine…*sobs* It's so sad. SO VOTE!!!!**  
  
But at least he asked her whether she did or not. She smirked and jumped off the ground, ever ready to show off. Really, she was such a drama queen. Not as much as…Minako…BUT ANYWAYS.  
  
"Ready? This is a song by Jimmy Eat World that I really like. It's called "My Sundown". It's not really my usual style, but I head it and went wow. So…yeah."  
  
She cleared her throat and began to sing. Daniel eyes almost popped out. She sounded just like a professional. Her face, for once, wasn't sneering, smirking, or even laughing. It was just like a…nice…thing…or something…. He made his mind shut up so he could pay attention.  
  
"I see it around me, I see it in everything. I could be so much more than this. I said my goodbyes, this is my sundown. I'm gonna be so much more than this. With one hand high, you'll show them your progress. You'll take your time, but no one cares. No one cares. I need you to show me the way from crazy. I wanna be so much more than this. With one hand high, you'll show them your progress. You'll take your time, but no one cares. No one cares. With one hand high, you'll show them your progress. You'll take your time, but no one cares. No one cares. I could be so much more than this. No one cares. I wanna be so much more than this. No one cares. I could be so much more than this. No one cares. I wanna be so much more than this. No one cares. I wanna be so much more than this. No one cares. I wanna be so much more than this. Good goodbye lovely time. Good goodbye tin sunshine. Good goodbye I'll be fine. Good goodbye, good night."  
  
Then she bowed, and straitened, smiling. He clapped, and stopped sheepishly as one of the drunk men groaned. Usagi rolled her eyes. Some people were just to damn nice for their own good.  
  
"What does it mean?"  
  
Usagi shrugged indifferently, and sat back down. "I have no goddamned idea. For me, it's a pretty good summary of what I felt when I made the change from "Tsukino Bubble Head Usagi" to "Tsukino Goddamn it Go Away I Hate You Usagi". I was just like, to hell with this fake crap. So I fucked it all and changed. It wasn't like anyone would mind. They were always mad at me anyways. So it wasn't much of a change."  
  
Daniel rubbed his eyes and stared blearily at her. "I just don't understand how you could give up your friends just for the sake of being who you are."  
  
Usagi laid down and glared at the metal ceiling of the plane. "Well, the old me would have done anything to keep my friends. But my idea of a friend DOESN'T DUMP YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE BLIND!"  
  
He blinked. "You're blind?"  
  
"Um, let's think about this. No."  
  
"But you said you were blind."  
  
"I was."  
  
"But…." He trailed off, deciding that he wasn't going to understand, so he might as well screw trying to make sense of her. He was figuring out that you COULD NOT reason with disturbed teens. They very obviously had a chemical imbalance in their minds that made them act erratically. That would make sense. Except…it wouldn't because he had no idea what he had just thought. He had heard one of his teachers say it once when talking about a student, and he had decided that it sounded cool. Never mind that he had no godly idea what it meant.  
  
As if Usagi was reading his mind, she looked over at his thoughtful face, sighed deeply, and lay back down. She scrunched up her nose, made a face at the ceiling, and sighed again. It was very obviously going to be a long trip.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Lorraine stared at the plane in absolute shock. She craned her head back, and stared up after the plane as it left them all coughing in a cloud of dust. She blinked several times to get the dirt out of her eyes, and then turned around very slowly to inspect the reactions of the others.  
  
Nick was standing there, looking like a total moron. His jaw was dropped open, and his eyes were all bugged out like a fish. He was looking like after he got over the shock, he was going to kick some serious copper ass.  
  
Bleac was…nowhere to be seen. Lorraine heard a very familiar moan at her feet, and looked down to see the Irish chick passed out prettily at her feet. The girl's hand was even placed strategically over her forehead. Bleac moaned again, and pulled herself into a sitting position. She looked around, and after discovering that Bunny's arrest wasn't a bad dream, dissolved into tears.  
  
But here was the freaky thing about everything. Ranma, Trunks, and Goten were doing the whole glowing thing, but they weren't moving. It was like they were frozen. Lorraine bit her lip worriedly and walked over to them. Steeling herself, she waved her hand in front of Trunks' face. Then Goten's, and then Ranma's. No response.  
  
Getting panicky, she ran over to where the five homos were. She grabbed one's braid and yanked hard. The queer just fell over. She bottled up her scream, adding significantly to her panic.  
  
"SOMEONE HELP!" she screamed finally. Being alone was freaky when your best friend had just been kidnapped.  
  
"What happened?" came a sharp, cold voice. "Where's Tsukino? What'd you do to her, Dupont?"  
  
"Damn it, Shiro! I didn't do anything! These guys popped out of a plane, scooped Bunny-chan up, and loaded her back into the plane and took off! I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING!" she yelled hysterically.  
  
Tsuzumi slapped Lorraine hard. "Get a hold of yourself. Now let's get this straight. Someone took Tsukino?"  
  
Lorraine, nodded mutely, her hand still pressed to her burning cheek. She hadn't cried out, because she knew that she had needed it.  
  
"Shiro, Trunks, Goten, and Ranma are frozen. Oh, and those queers over there. What's going on?"  
  
The model looked at Lorraine contemptuously. "It's obvious. Have you noticed that whenever Tsukino goes out on her own, she comes back glowing a bit?"  
  
"Yeah…."  
  
"Well that's because she's a fucking demon. She can go out, kill other magical creatures, and harvest their power for herself. It's like a food chain. Let me tell you this. Tsukino is *not* at the top. Someone's out to get her power, and they're going to."  
  
Lorraine was getting pissed. "And you don't care, do you? You just don't give a damn! Bunny's going to DIE and you don't care!"  
  
Tsuzumi flipped her long hair over her shoulder. "Of course I do. I'm in a position that would be fatal for me if Tsukino was taken out. As much as I would like to see her die, we're a package deal. If she's alive, I am too. As a result, I am finding the irritating inclination to save her from destruction."  
  
Lorraine mulled over this for a moment, and then brightened. "You'll help save her! Sugoi! Now how do we wake up the boys?"  
  
Tsuzumi shrugged. "Don't ask me. I deal in killing people, not bringing them back. Kiss them or something. It works with statues."  
  
Lorraine giggled, and bounced over to the three boys that she knew. She beamed at the exasperated Tsuzumi, and then kissed the three, rapid fire.  
  
Trunks stumbled backwards, and then blushed at finding Lorraine's face three inches from his own. Goten and Ranma woke up at about the same second, each tumbling into each other. They only just managed to keep their balance. Lorraine viewed this silently, and then poked Ramna's arm.  
  
CRASH  
  
Lorraine busted up laughing as the heap of boys just glared up at her. She was about to go kiss the other five, when she came face to face with one's gun. She smiled weakly.  
  
The one with the spandex and the gun gestured at his comrades. He didn't say a word, but his silent authority commanded silence. The four other pricks, as Lorraine thought of them, shut their mouths and looked at him.  
  
"Get the Gundams." He said tonelessly.  
  
The one with the braid slapped his face. "Ugh! WE CAN'T EVEN HAVE ONE GODDAMNED SUMMER WITHOUT SOMETHING HAPPENING!"  
  
The one with the screwy bangs raised an eyebrow in query.  
  
The braided one (Duo?) laughed, and pumped his fist into the air. "Never fear, Shinigami's here!"  
  
Then he crashed off into the trees, yelling up a storm. The others just followed, with resigned expressions on their faces. Lorraine personally didn't know, but she was getting the impression that Duo was always like that. Not that she minded, herself. He was absolutely ADORABLE!  
  
She turned around to comment on the lack of good hair in the departed group of boys to Trunks, Nick, Goten, Ranma, and Bleac, and found them in a state of disarray.  
  
Bleac was still passed out on the ground, Trunks, Goten, and Ranma were glowing again, Nick was swearing loudly in several different languages, and Tsuzumi was looking bored. Lorraine decided to pick on Tsuzumi some more.  
  
"You really don't care about Bunny as a person, do you?"  
  
Blood red eyes flicked over to meet dark brown ones. The girl gave a short, dry laugh. "I honestly couldn't tell you. I've never known the brat as a person. I've only fought her. But so far…to answer your question…" she trailed off.  
  
Lorraine leaned forward hopefully. "Do you?" she asked excitedly.  
  
"No."  
  
"Arrggg…."  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Usagi stared out the window of the plane, feeling horribly alone. Daniel was with his fellow coppers, and the "fellow coppers" were in the other cabin. She was all alone in the too fancy first class compartment. She never had liked fancy things, especially when they were forced upon her.  
  
And this was very much forced upon her.  
  
And there wasn't anything she could do about it. Sure, she could jump out of the plane, but she wasn't that stupid. It was to high, and there weren't any parachutes. She could knock everyone out again and take control of the plane, but what good would that do? She couldn't fly a plane. If she still had the crystal she could turn ESM and use her wings, but look at that! No crystal. It was in the hands of that loathsome Liko Mia.  
  
Grrrrrr….  
  
***  
  
The aforementioned girl did not, in fact, have the crystal with her. The crystal was sitting on her dresser at home, glowing softly, protesting the change in everything it had ever known. Never had there been a day when it had been left alone while its owner walked around in the mall without it.  
  
All because it wasn't "cool" to wear it on her chest.  
  
Good grief.  
  
"So how does this look?" Mia asked cheerfully.  
  
Minako tapped her lip a few times, wondering what the girl would do if she said it made her look fat. It *did* make the slim Liko Mia look fat, but Minako decided against informing the girl of this. One, because it would be fun to see the girl at a disadvantage, and two, because Minako did *not* have a death wish, as much as it may seem so at times.  
  
So the self-titled Goddess of Love and Beauty turned on her hundred watt smile and beamed it at the posing Sailor M…good lord, she couldn't even say it. Unfortunately, in the blonde's mind, the smiling, blonde Usagi would always be Sailor Moon. Not this primping, posing, silver haired bimbo.  
  
Rei watched on as Minako gave Mia her fake smile, and her fake friendship. Her stomach turned while Mia soaked up the words like a dry sponge. It was disgusting, really. And come on! She couldn't seriously think that was Minako's real smile. No way. That "100 Watt Smile" was the one she always flashed at teachers to get them off her back. Mia caught sight of Rei's head and waved.  
  
"Have you seen Mamo-chan?"  
  
That was another thing that *totally* pissed the Senshi of Mars off. Mia couldn't care less about Rei, Minako, or the others. She absolutely treated them like trash, and it was really getting old. Frankly, Rei was beginning to see why Serenity had been chosen over Mia. Oh, but wouldn't it be great when Mia met the Outers. They had made arrangements to meet in the park. Rei could just taste the satisfaction of seeing Haruka beat the crap out of the girl. Of course, that satisfaction would be short lived, seeing as they would be next on the list.  
  
She walked over to the girl and tapped her on the shoulder. "Mia, we have to meet Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru at the park. We're supposed to be there in like, five minutes."  
  
Mia glared at her. "Can't you see I'm busy? Mina-chan and I will meet up with you guys in a half hour, 'kay?"  
  
Minako glanced at her, and then looked away. "Mia, I'm going with Rei- chan, okay?"  
  
Mia grit her teeth. "Excuse me? Who's in charge here?"  
  
"Usagi is."  
  
Everyone turned, and Rei and Minako smiled when they saw Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru. Sailor Uranus and Neptune looked pretty much the same, but Hotaru…was…older. The same age as Rei and the others. Mia rounded on them.  
  
"And just who do you think you are? I'm in charge! I'm Moon, not that whore Tsukino."  
  
Haruka smiled very slowly. "Care to say that to her face?"  
  
Mia sniffed and tossed her long pigtails over her shoulder. "I know for a fact that the bitch is in a summer camp for teens with problems. As in, not here. So how could I possibly say that to her face?"  
  
Haruka shifted slightly. "I'm sure we could make arrangements. Now. Let's go to the park and have this meeting, shall we?"  
  
The haughty silver-haired girl glared at the racer, and swept out of Buckle full of anger. How *dare* they treat her like this? How could they even mention that bitch Tsukino? God, she hated the blonde bunny. The rage inside was like a bubbling cauldron of fire, ready to overflow and destroy everything in its path. She was hazily aware of the Senshi following behind her, but the redness choking her vision was like a blindfold. She could barely see through the fog of fury.  
  
So she did what she had been doing for the past three years. She took that rage and bottled it up, where it blazed against the walls along with the past anger of three years.  
  
The bottle cracked.  
  
It bled into her soul, poisoning her mind, however undetectable it was. And because it was undetectable, it was all the more dangerous.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Power.  
  
(momma where are you)  
  
Sleeping, slumbering, power. A dormant volcano, ready to burst and blow everything away. Nothing would survive in the wave of…power…  
  
(you left me all alone)  
  
ah….another power  
  
but different  
  
stronger more deadly than dragon-fire good or bad  
  
yet to be decided  
  
(why did you leave me)  
  
But what would happen…? The one power was stirring, waking…glowing red hot…the other was still sleeping, but concealing what? Deadly wildfire, or a small, insignificant supernova?  
  
(I hate you)  
  
Want power.  
  
(I hate you for leaving me)  
  
Need power.  
  
(I hate you for not loving me)  
  
Wake up.  
  
Wake up.  
  
Wake up.  
  
And in the darkness, something stirred, and woke.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
**Author's Note: Okay, I know this song is by Linkin Park, but let's pretend that Usagi is writing it, K?**  
  
It starts with one  
  
One thing that I didn't know why  
  
Doesn't even matter how hard you try  
  
Keep that in mind I designed this rhyme  
  
To explain in due time  
  
All I know  
  
Time is a valuable thing  
  
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings  
  
Watch it count down to the end of the day  
  
The clock ticks life away  
  
It's so unreal  
  
Didn't look out below  
  
Watch the time go right out the window  
  
Trying to hold on but didn't even know  
  
Wasted it all just to  
  
Watch you go  
  
I kept everything inside even though I tried it all fell apart  
  
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I tried  
  
They had never really liked her. Rei had always been furious with her for lateness, Minako scorned her because of her clumsiness, Ami frowned down upon her, silently commenting on another failed test. Even Makoto lent a hand to the pot of burning remarks. Not even Luna stood by her in the end. Would the hurt ever go away? Nope, she didn't think so.  
  
Her pen moved faster over the paper, channeling her pent up anger towards those LYING, CHEATING, TRAITORS onto paper. She smirked. They never even knew how she felt, and they considered her their friends? Fist off, what kind of friend would treat her like gum on the sole of a fucking shoe?  
  
I tried so hard  
  
And got so far  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter  
  
I had to fall  
  
And lose it all  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter  
  
Lord, it was really a kick ass feeling. All the taunts, all the mocking words didn't even matter now. Because she had her friends, she had her life, and God help her, she even had her family. Even though she wasn't very nice to them. But was she mean because it was just the way she was, or was it because she really and truly blamed them for the loss of 25% of her soul?  
  
Aw, damn it. She didn't give a fuck. It took too much energy.  
  
One thing I don't know why  
  
Doesn't even matter how hard you try  
  
Keep that in mind I designed this rhyme  
  
To remind myself how  
  
I tried so hard  
  
In spite of the way you were mocking me  
  
Acting like I was part of your property  
  
Remembering all the times you've fought with me  
  
I'm surprised it got so (far)  
  
Things aren't the way they were before  
  
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore  
  
Not that you knew me back then  
  
But it all comes back to me  
  
In the end  
  
You kept everything inside and even though I tried it all fell apart  
  
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time I tried  
  
And wouldn't it be great to just randomly show up and blast a youma with one of her new powers? And accidentally hit Moon on the way? Aw, that would be so sad. Poor Miss Moon. Yikes. Was this how Beryl and Co. had felt about her? Scary. Oh well. Usagi decided that she had a damn good reason to not like Liko Mia. After all, the bitch *had* taken over the Moon Role. But that wasn't what she was pissed about. She was pissed that the Inners had taken the Crystal by force. That was what was pissing her off. If she had her powers then…. Speaking of powers. Where the hell had hers come from? She was only 50% demon…so…wait. Hadn't the SPIDER stolen her star steed? That would mean she would be dead. But she had jumped up and gone after the SPIDER (aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!) Then she got her star steed back, as well as the SPIDER'S powers. Ugh. She didn't even want to think about it. Thinking about the general goodness or badness of your soul isn't fun.  
  
I tried so hard  
  
And got so far  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter  
  
I had to fall  
  
And lose it all  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter.  
  
I put my trust in you  
  
Pushed as far as I can go  
  
And for all this  
  
There's only one thing you should know  
  
I put my trust in you  
  
Pushed as far as I can go  
  
And for all this  
  
There's only one thing you should know  
  
I tried so hard  
  
And got so far  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter  
  
I had to fall  
  
And lose it all  
  
But in the end  
  
It doesn't even matter.  
  
Usagi smiled triumphantly at her new ---poem? No, it was a song. She could even hear the way it would sound if sung by a band, and she liked it. Her little happy bubble was popped when an evil, unshaved, gross smelling cop grabbed her shoulder.  
  
"We're here."  
  
She smiled brightly. "Where's here?"  
  
"Where you're going to meet the boss."  
  
Her smile faltered for an instant, but she brought it back up, full force. "And the boss would be…?"  
  
"Sanagi. Sanagi Natoku."  
  
Oh, no. Oooooh, no. This was so not happening to her. This was NOT happening to her! All her life she had herd whispered stories about the…thing named Sanagi Natoku. No one even knew whether it was a male or a female. The most anyone knew was that you stayed out of its way.  
  
And now it wanted her.  
  
Damn.  
  
The line of cops propelled her into the building, and for an instant she forgot her impending doom. All around her was beauty. Graceful marble columns rose into the air like reaching fingers. The floors were made of marble, and there was a large fountain in the middle. Real, honest-to-god trees and ferns gave the place a clean feel, without making the room too crowded.  
  
Unfortunately, she had only a moment to drink it all in, because more evil people came out to kill her. Not directly, of course, but if they were taking her to Sanagi Natoku, they might as well be signing her death warrant. They took her arms and shoved her into an elevator.  
  
They went up. And up. And up. And up, until Usagi got bored. She stared hard at one of the men. He finally looked at her after about five minutes.  
  
"What?" he barked.  
  
"I've got new socks on!" she announced.  
  
The men didn't even flinch. She sighed, and waited. When nearly 15 million years had passed, the elevator dinged and they all got off. She didn't even have time to take a breath of clean air when they shoved her down the hall. They walked for a while, and then came to a large oak door. One man knocked, and then stepped backwards.  
  
"Come in," came a bored voice from behind those doors.  
  
Another man opened the doors, and pushed the panicking bunny into the room. They slammed the doors behind her, laving her in there. Trapped. She looked at the closed door desolately for a second, and then turned around to face her death.  
  
Ah HA! So Sanagi Natoku was a GUY! And damn, was he hot. He smiled at her, and her breath froze in her throat. That smile was *not* a nice smile. It was the smile of a predator that had the dumb ass birdie in its jaws.  
  
"Tsukino Usagi. So nice to finally meet you. Please, take a seat."  
  
She didn't move. Usagi could swear that Sanagi smirked. But no. He smiled again.  
  
"Very well. Let's get down to business."  
  
***  
  
1 Coming Attractions: LOKI  
  
2 Makoto scratched her head and looked around. Where in Jupiter's name was her whisk? She had been very happily making eggs when it disappeared. She wanted her whisk back! She needed her whisk! SHE LIVED AND BREATHED FOR HER WHISK! Well, maybe not that last part. But still….  
  
3 "I WANT MY WHISK BACK!!!!"  
  
4 I nearly fell off my cloud, I was laughing so hard. Actually, I did. I realized my approaching doom and slammed on my breaks…only to remember that my powers of flight had been temporarily suspended, due to repeated pranks on poor Quatre. But hey! How was I supposed to know that an archangel could do that?  
  
5 That wasn't really my main concern at the moment.  
  
6 My focus was mostly that I was falling very quickly, I couldn't fly, and all of my wonderful Makoto voodoo plans were going down the tube….  
  
7 ***  
  
8 The above will only come into being under two conditions. NUMBER ONE: I have to get my lazy ass in gear. TWO: you have to give me ideas on what the hell to do with my poor, deprived fic.  
  
Now keep this in mind, too!  
  
More reviews + inspiration = happy and writing prone me!  
  
(sorry about the numbers up there, I can't get them to go away. *bangs the computer and sighs*) 


	7. Chappie No. SEVEN!

Good Riddance  
  
  
  
  
  
Okay, people. After much heartache, we have the couples. It's Hiiro/ Usagi, Lorraine/ Duo.and that's all we have. We have a tie b/w Quatre/ Bleac/ Wufei, but. that's still it. Ranma, Goten, and everyone else.poor them! So, get them a couple and make them happy! Thanks again for reading!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Okay. Comments on life: We've got evil kidnappers. We've got cops. We've got the whole evil / awesome summer camp thing going on. I think I'm gonna die. The one dude (I forgot his name) knows that I'm the hacker. He's threatening to expose me, unless I help him in his whole business deal. Conclusion: like sucks monkey's ass. End of entry."  
  
"Diary closing," the computer said monotonously.  
  
She glared at the room in general. She couldn't quite do this correctly, of course, because she wasn't altogether sure where the hell the damned computer was. It was so.ugh. Usagi rolled off her bed and sat on the floor, Indian style.  
  
"Computer, where are you?"  
  
"Please rephrase question."  
  
Usagi almost threw a pillow. But she didn't know where to throw it. ARG!!! "If I wanted to, let's say, upgrade you, where would I go?"  
  
There was a slight pause. "My main controls are under your bed."  
  
The girl let out a delighted squeal and dove under the bed. Sure enough, there was an outline of a square in the center of the floor. She tapped it, and it flew open. Usagi smirked triumphantly, and began the "readjustments".  
  
After an hour of hard, delicate work, she closed the tiny cover, and wriggled out from under the bed. She climbed to her feet and turned around, promptly running into Sanagi. He smiled charmingly.  
  
"And what, my dear girl, where you doing under there?"  
  
Usagi stared at him. See him try to make her talk. Jackass.  
  
He watched her stare at him for a while, and then sighed. "I see you're not going to talk to me. Well then, I'll tell you this. I hold your very life in my hands. You've done some very bad things, Tsukino Usagi. I know your.occupation in the crime fighting business. I know the identities of your friends. I even know the.quirks in your blood, shall we say. I am a very well informed man. Now. You will do whatever I say, or some people that you know will very suddenly find themselves facing an unhappy, short, future. Agreed?"  
  
Damn. Whatever happened to the good ole days when she didn't give a damn about anyone? Arg.life was so *complicated* when you had friends. She should've just.. Grrr. Usagi was trapped, and she knew that he knew it. She hated losing. But how would this turn out? This man was a ruthless businessman, wanting her to help him in his business. Would this be absolutely like hell? Or would it be something else? She didn't know, and what could she say, besides:  
  
"Yes. I'll do it."  
  
Sanagi looked like a big cat that had just eaten that dumb birdie when he smiled at her. "Fabulous. We'll send a letter to the camp, and to your parents telling them all about your new job. I must warn you, there are several fancy dinners we must attend, and this is a very high paying position. Of course you'll have to meet my other employees.." And he went on.  
  
Usagi just stared in something that was very close to shock. He was like a little boy after getting an exceptionally fantastic present. Not that it was far from the truth. So, still feeling like this was a dream, she flopped down onto her bed and began daydreaming, muttering various murmurs and agreements here and there, and so was very surprised when he laughed.  
  
"So I'll get Mary to take you shopping!"  
  
"What?" Where had this come from??  
  
"Well," he said patiently, "you just agreed when I said that you need more fashionable clothes."  
  
She was instantly on her guard. No one was getting clothes for her except for her. Knowing her, they'd try to stick her in pink. Or white. The two worst colors in the fucking world.  
  
"No colors except for black," she commanded.  
  
Sanagi winced. "At least some other colors too, please!"  
  
Usagi scowled at him. "Fine. I can deal with red. And navy blue. But any other colors, and I will rip them up, scatter them around my room, pour gasoline all over them, and then throw a match on them while listening to "Light My Fire" by the Doors. Understood?"  
  
He actually smiled. "Of course. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now. How refreshing," he murmured as he walked out of the room, "a rebellious teenager."  
  
The blonde bunny stared at the man's back before spinning around and glaring at the room.  
  
"WHY DO I GET THE CRAZY PEOPLE?"  
  
"Because you're a crazy, psycho ass girl that is a magnet for those people," the computer said snidely.  
  
"Jack off," Usagi muttered. "WELL!! We need to do something, computer."  
  
"First thing you need to do is give me a name!"  
  
Glare. "Piper. What's next?"  
  
"Escape and make friends."  
  
Usagi sighed, and then looked at her clothes. "Piper, can we go shopping first?"  
  
The computer let out a sigh. "Alright. Mary won't be coming for a while yet, so why don't you play a simulation? We've got a fantastic Lord of the Rings one. Oh, and then there's the Matrix one.and god damn, we've even got a Lion King simulation.wow.I never knew.."  
  
The girl held up her hands and sat down on the blue arm chair. "Hold up. What the hell are you talking about? A simulation?"  
  
She couldn't see Piper, of course, but the computer sure sounded haggard. "A simulation is sort of like a game, except super real. You kind of go into a trance, and then get "dropped" into a movie or a book. Then you play a role. You can either be one of the characters, or actually be dropped. You wanna play?"  
  
Usagi smiled, and envisioned Legolas riding a horse into the sunset. "Well sure."  
  
  
  
  
  
**In the simulation**  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!"  
  
BAM  
  
"Attack!"  
  
Usagi opened her eyes to find that one prince with his sword at her throat. She gulped and fished desperately for his name. She finally came to grips with the fact that she couldn't remember it for the life of her, and then smiled sweetly. Taking a look around, she saw that Legolas, Gandalf, Gimli, and everyone else had their weapons pointed at her.  
  
"Um.hi?" she asked weakly.  
  
"Who are you, and where the hell are you from?" the dwarf demanded.  
  
"The name's Usagi, and I've just come directly from my room in New York."  
  
Pippin laughed. "Great entrance! How did you manage to fall from the sky like that?"  
  
Usagi shrugged. "I'm a fallen star," she said half-jokingly.  
  
Suddenly the sword at her throat pressed harder, almost at the point of breaking her skin. She could scarcely breathe for fear of getting her throat cut. The man's breathing above her was ragged.  
  
"What is that ring you wear?"  
  
Startled, she raised her hand to look at this supposed ring she was wearing. What she saw almost made her choke. Sure enough, she was wearing a thick silver ring. Fiery words burned along the edges, and she almost fainted.  
  
Damn Piper.  
  
**Five hours later real time / five months later LotR time**  
  
  
  
  
  
Piper was rudely awoken when someone knocked loudly on the door. The computer glared menacingly at the door, hoping to fry the person behind it. No such luck.  
  
"Usagi! Usagi! It's me! Mary! I've come to take you shopping, like Mr. Natoku asked! USAGI!! Alright, I'm coming in! You asked for it!"  
  
The loud girl pushed the door open to be greeted by a blonde girl lying on the floor laughing hysterically. Her forehead knotted, and she smiled nervously.  
  
"Um, Miss Usagi?"  
  
Usagi looked up when her name was mispronounced. The girl was saying it "You-say-gee". God. No one could speak Japanese here. She sighed. They would have to call her Bunny.  
  
"Bunny's okay, Mary. Now what are you in my room for?"  
  
Mary wiped suddenly damp hands on her skirt. "Well, I was instructed to take you shopping for casual, dressy, and fancy clothing. I've heard that the ACTUAL GUNDAM PILOTS ARE GOING TO BE AT THE BALL IN JULY! WE'VE GOT TO GET THE PERFECT DRESSES!"  
  
Usagi blinked at this girl's enthusiasm. Mary reminded her of a younger, nicer Usagi. Freaky. "Are you coming? To this.party, I mean?"  
  
Mary nodded excitedly. "Yes, yes, of course! I'm Mr. Natoku's niece! I know I work as a maid here, but it's so much fun! Aaaaiiiieee!! It's going to be so much fun being friends with an evil person! I've never actually known a terrorist before!"  
  
Usagi scowled at the girl. "I'm not your friend, and I'm not a terrorist. I prefer "Annoying Pain In The Ass"."  
  
Mary smiled uncertainly. "O-Okay.sure. Anyways! I've GOT to introduce you to my friends! They're all kind of psycho, so you might actually enjoy their company! Come ON!"  
  
Usagi allowed herself to be dragged out of the room, but she stopped long enough to say goodbye to Piper. After she had done so, Mary looked at her oddly. Usagi stared back at her.  
  
"What?" she said challengingly.  
  
Mary jumped a little, and then smiled sheepishly. "Oh, well, I was wondering.. Who's Piper?"  
  
"My computer."  
  
"But all the rooms share the same system!"  
  
As if the gods were playing their own, special joke on Mr. Sanagi Natoku, Piper's laughter filled the halls. Five seconds later feet were heard on the hallway floors.  
  
"USAGI!" the man roared.  
  
Usagi laughed out loud, grabbed Mary's hand, and took off down the hall. Mary was having a hard time keeping up, but Usagi pointedly ignored the protesting girl.  
  
"Piper, what's the nearest hiding place?"  
  
The computer's voice moved along the halls, keeping up with them. "Down the hall and to the right. There'll be a small door. Go through that, and then wait for him to pass. God this is fun," it muttered.  
  
"Isn't it, though?" Usagi giggled out.  
  
After hearing Sanagi's shout closer than it ought to be, Usagi cranked up the speed a few notches. With a slightly sadistic smile on her face, she tore around the corner and dove at the door. Fumbling at the doorknob, she shoved Mary inside, and then crawled after her. They sat in dead silence until they heard his pounding feet pass.  
  
Breathing a sigh of relief, she opened the door a crack. All clear. Usagi opened the door all the way and wriggled out of the tight space. She turned and waved Mary out. The girl crawled out of the tiny room, looking sort of traumatized. Usagi almost laughed aloud at Mary's expression. Clapping the terrified girl on the back, Usagi beamed at her cheerfully.  
  
"Oh, don't be such a prick! We wouldn't have gotten into too much trouble anyways. Now what were you saying about shopping?"  
  
And then she yanked the brown haired girl to her feet and dragged her down the hall, out the door, and onto the streets of New York City.  
  
Once inside the mall, Usagi went totally psycho. She was loud, laughing, and talking to anyone that could hear here. She had even managed to pick up a few names. There had been a woman trying to get her screaming to shut the fuck up, and Usagi had simply walked up, taken the baby, patted it gently on the back, and handed it back to the mother. The mother stared down at her beaming baby, and then back up at Usagi's retreating back.  
  
Usagi was very definitely a somebody.  
  
Mary looked silently into the mirror, watching her reflection. She always felt like such a nobody. Her friends were the best people she could ever hope to be friends with, but sometimes that just wasn't enough. She was known as cautious, sensible, and shy. Now, looking at her reflection, she couldn't see anyone that was worth anyone's time. She saw a plain, boring girl with crap brown eyes and plain brown hair. She was nothing extraordinary. Not like Usagi. Mary caught sight of the blonde in the mirror, chatting amiably with two other teens. Usagi was smirking, and then laughed at something one of the boys had said. Then she glanced over at Mary, and said something that made the boys look at her too. Mary's heart sunk. She was probably saying that she was stuck here with a boring, ugly prick.  
  
"Yeah, that's my bud Mary," Usagi was saying, gesturing over at Mary. "She's pretty cool, but she has a crazy ass self-esteem problem. It sucks monkey's ass."  
  
The two boys exchanged a look that Usagi translated easily. Since boys were impossible to understand, she only had a small understanding of their unspoken language. Roughly translated, they said: "Damn, she's hot."  
  
If only Mary knew.  
  
Usagi's chat and Mary's depression were interrupted rather rudely by several screams. The blonde girl froze for a heartbeat, and then she kicked into action. Breaking through the human blockade of people, she burst out of the store and careened around the corner. Mary let out a protesting yell, and then bolted after the runaway girl.  
  
Where was she? Mary scanned the crowds desperately, looking for Usagi's trademark hairstyle. After a second of frantic searching, she finally caught a glimpse of Usagi running in the entirely wrong direction. Everyone was running *away* from the screams. Apparently Usagi didn't understand the concept of saving her own butt, and so ran right towards the screams. Mary sighed desolately, and wondered why the hell she had to come to the mall with a psycho wannabe hero anyways.  
  
GODDAMN ALL THE FUCKING PEOPLE! Usagi shoved yet another person aside as she tried to get to the screams. She swore loudly at a man, who leaped out of her path like he was being threatened by a bat out of Hell. Not that it was terribly far from the truth..  
  
Suddenly the screams stopped, like they were cut off. Usagi cursed again. That was NOT a good sign. It either meant that the monster was gone, or that the screamers were dead. She was hoping desperately for the former. It would not look good for the poor mall if someone died.  
  
Usagi rounded the last corner and came to a complete halt. Before her was a pissed off youma. It was.odd looking, to say the least. Actually, it looked like a perfectly normal person, which was the weird thing. It looked like a normal business woman, except for the minor fact that her eyes were glowing red, and she had a ruby in the middle of her forehead. Right. Perfectly normal stuff.  
  
The woman's eyes fell upon Usagi, and she smirked. "Well if it isn't our dear friend, Sailor Moon. Oh, whoops," the woman said sarcastically, "I forgot! You can't even transform anymore, am I correct? So technically, you're a complete civilian. Which would mean that if I decided to attack you, you wouldn't be able to do a damned thing."  
  
Usagi grit her teeth, and waited for the right moment. It was painfully obvious that the woman wanted to continue ranting. But she also wanted a reaction, and Usagi wasn't about to give it to her. Not in a million years. So she simply curled her fingers into fists and waited.  
  
"Unfortunately, I'm not supposed to kill you right away. You see, my leader wants very much for you to join us. For some insane reason he believes that you could actually be an asset to out army. I can't see his reasoning, but he's never steered us wrong before. Now, here's the deal. You can either join us and live a happy, successful life as a soldier in our army, or you can die."  
  
Usagi smiled slightly. "Is this usually how you go about recruiting? Or are you too weak to actually do anything but talk big?"  
  
The woman's eyes flamed. "Give me your answer, little girl, or you can shove your smart ass remarks up your ass."  
  
Usagi smirked. "Why don't you shove this up your ass?" she shouted, leaping at the woman.  
  
Mary came in right then, just in time to see Usagi jump into the air. That wouldn't be so peculiar, except for the fact that she was surrounded by a blazing navy blue aura. She leaped behind a table, and then peeked over the edge to watch in wonder as Usagi fired a blast from her palm.  
  
Taken off guard, the youma only managed to jump out of the way. "I assume you've chosen death. What a relief. Now I can kill you without going against orders! Heavenly Storm!"  
  
A huge gold blast came spiraling at Usagi, who laughed and jumped back into the air. "You're too slow!" Usagi yelled as she teleported behind the youma. Usagi hooked her arm around its neck and blasted her in the back.  
  
"Way too slow."  
  
The woman gasped, and then fell to the ground clawing at the jewel on her forehead. Some unknown force compelled Usagi to kneel next to the fallen woman, who clutched at Usagi's shirt. Yanking roughly, she brought Usagi's face down to her level.  
  
"Watch out, Moon. They'll come for you. And when they come for you.they have.something that you.care deeply about." The woman coughed, and gasped painfully for breath. "Listen to me. You may think you'll all powerful, but I did too, until they got my kids. I had no choice.but to join.watch out.they're coming for you---"  
  
The blast was unexpected, and it silenced the woman effectively. When the dust cleared, Usagi found her Power lying there. Finally coming to the conclusion that someone else was there too, she scooped up the power items and swallowed them. Standing, she turned in a full circle, before the telltale tingling came at the right of her mind, and a little to the north. Acting purely by instinct, she leaped aside just in time to avoid a well aimed bullet.  
  
"Jesus Christ, watch where you're shooting that fucking thing!" Usagi yelled.  
  
A man swung down from the balcony. "I really should. Next time I won't miss."  
  
Usagi fell into a fighting position. "Oh yeah? Maybe next time you won't hit anything but my shield, hm? What are you, another youma?"  
  
He bowed. "Yusuke Takamu, vanquisher of dangerous magical creatures. I kill you, harvest your power, and go on to kill something else. It's really a very efficient system to operate by. I've heard stories about you, Usagi. They say in Hell that there is a demon that isn't quite a demon has been gaining power at an extremely rapid pace. I've come to put you down before you actually hurt someone."  
  
Usagi rolled her eyes. "Moron. I'm not going to hurt anyone. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some shopping to do. Shall we reschedule my death? I need a little bit of time to say goodbye and all," she said sarcastically.  
  
"Of course. I will see you at a later date."  
  
Then he disappeared in a flourish of gaudy lights and sparkly glitter. Usagi groaned, and trudged away from the food court. She was looking very traumatized.  
  
"God save us from morons with big egos and lots of glitter," she muttered darkly to herself.  
  
"Bunny, what the hell was that about?"  
  
Usagi winced and turned around slowly to face an angry Mary. Years of bitch training came into play. "None of your damn business."  
  
"Usagi, people could have gotten killed! You could have gotten killed! I think it is my business!"  
  
The bunny shoved Mary aside and stormed away. "Believe me, you want nothing to do with my life," she snapped.  
  
Mary ran after her, finally mad. "Will you get your head out of your fucking asshole? Why the hell would you think that I want nothing to do with your life? Maybe it's completely fucked up, but I'm your goddamned FRIEND, and that's what FRIENDS do! They give a damn about what goes on in their FRIENDS' lives! So wake the hell up and smell reality, Bunny! YOU ARE NOT THE CENTER OF THE GODDAMNED UNIVERSE, SO QUIT ACTING LIKE HELL REVOLVES AROUND *YOU*!"  
  
Usagi stared at the usually soft-spoken Mary in absolute shock. Mary had never seemed like the type to go off on someone like that. Impressive. But was that how she really looked? Like she thought Hell revolved around her? Well, it sort of did in a way, but that wasn't the point. Huh. Maybe she should just.not go back to being Tsukino "Walk All Over Me" Usagi, but just be herself.with a twist. It was really honest to god tiring to be bad ass all the time, and sometimes she would be wanting to be air headed. And wasn't the definition of rebel defying labels, or something like that? So screw "rebel", and fuck "prep". Let's try the label that says "Usagi". This decided, she busted up laughing.  
  
Mary blinked, and took a cautious step away from the crazy lady. "Um, Bunny? Are you okay?"  
  
Usagi almost collapsed, she was laughing so hard. "Ow, goddamn it, I've got a cramp now.*laughs*.good God. Bravo, Mary. I never knew you had it in you."  
  
"So you're not mad at me?" she asked timidly.  
  
Usagi shook her head negatively, and smiled cheerfully. "I needed that. I kinda did have my head shoved up my ass. But I still don't like authority, I'm still gonna be in trouble all the time. I'm just not gonna be a bitch 24/7 anymore. Deal?"  
  
Mary nodded. "Definitely. You weren't really very nice. Before, I mean."  
  
Usagi shrugged, and began walking out of the food court. The other girl trailed after her, almost warily, just waiting for something to happen. She knew damn well that there was no hope for a docile Usagi. Sure enough, it came.  
  
"Everyone's gone."  
  
"Yeah, all the sane people left when they heard screaming."  
  
Pause. "You think we could steal some crap?"  
  
"BUNNY!"  
  
"Just kidding.."  
  
  
  
  
  
**In Tokyo**  
  
Once they finally got to the park, Mia crossed her arms and glared at Haruka, ignoring Hotaru and Michiru. "So. We're here. Now what are you wasting my time for?"  
  
Haruka smiled stiffly. "We just came to see who attempts to lead the Senshi now."  
  
"I'm assuming that you're Sailor Uranus. I've heard she's.rude. Which would mean that you're Sailor Neptune. But who's the little girl?"  
  
Hotaru glared at the arrogant girl and clenched her teeth. "I'm Saturn."  
  
Mia laughed. "You can't possibly expect me to believe that Tsukino would allow a young girl to fight!"  
  
Hotaru was seriously feeling the need to blow up this annoying.girl. This Mia was absolutely an insufferable.girl. Hotaru's mind very carefully censored out the bad things she wanted to say. Michi-mama wouldn't like that too much.  
  
"I fight."  
  
Mia laughed again. "Sure. Now, if that's all, I'll be going now. I was supposed to meet Mamo-chan five minutes ago. If you'll excuse me.?"  
  
Haruka took one giant step forward and grabbed Mia's shirt. "No, that's *not* all," she snarled. "Before you're excused , you're going to apologize."  
  
Mia looked at her contemptuously. "And what to I have to apologize for?"  
  
"Mouthing off against Koneko, and disbelieving Hotaru."  
  
Mia's eyes narrowed. "I apologize for my misunderstanding of Hotaru's status as a Senshi, but I refuse to take back what I said about that *bitch* Tsukino. That whore that you call a princess does not deserve my apology."  
  
Haruka actually smiled, and Minako, Makoto, and Rei stepped backwards, knowing what was going to happen. Ami never liked Mia, anyways. Speaking of Ami, where was she?  
  
Minako hit Ami's call button on her communicator, and waited for the girl's face to appear. There was the crackle of static, and then the smiling face appeared.  
  
"Hey Minako, what's up?"  
  
Minako smiled happily. "Nothing much over here! How's life on your end?"  
  
"Oh, well, I found out some very interesting things about Usa-chan---is that Haruka strangling Mia over there?"  
  
Minako looked back over at the shrieking Mia, and then turned back to Ami with a sheepish look on her face. "Oh yeah.I forgot about that.. Yup! It is! Mia called Usa-chan a whore and a bitch, and then called Hotaru a little girl. Haruka-san didn't take to kindly to that, and is now strangling the life out of our beloved leader."  
  
Ami sweat-dropped. "Um.fabulous. You might want to remind Haruka not to kill her though, because as much as a.rude girl she is, she's Sailor Moon, " (Ami gagged right there) "and is the only person that can defeat the youma that have been coming. Mercury out."  
  
Minako sighed sadly, and then turned back to Haruka. "Haruka-san, don't kill her, okay? She *is* the only one who can defeat all those annoysome youma. We'll be at Usa-chan's house."  
  
"Guys!" Mia shouted, and then screamed as she was thrown backwards into a tree. She looked up to see an angry Sailor Uranus advancing on her. She gulped and tried to back up. Maybe she should be a LOT nicer to the Outers.and stop bad mouthing Usagi.around them.  
  
"World Shaking!"  
  
Definitely.  
  
After being knocked around a bit, the Outers finally left the battered Liko Mia alone. Without making a sound, she got to her feet. She stood there for a moment with her head bowed. Outwardly she was perfectly calm, but inside was a raging hurricane. How could they do this to her? Back in the Moon Kingdom she had been so close to Serenity.but when Mia realized that her longtime friend was what had gotten in the way of her path to ruling the kingdom, she alienated the other girl so fast Serenity had been left in shock. And then when she was woken here in the future, she had automatically expected to become the Tsuki no Hime. Then she found out that Serenity had gotten her sight back, and therefore had no real reason to not be Sailor Moon anymore.  
  
Mia began to glow a dull red. Her fists clenched, and a low growl rolled from her throat. She was *not* going to let Usagi screw this one up. She wanted that power.and she could feel it coming. The bottle that held all of her anger finally broke, and it flooded into her mind like a bloody hand, tainting everything it touched. The dull red glow around her brightened, and she lifted her face to the moonlight. It was red, stained with blood.  
  
She looked at her hands, and they were tinted red too. The whole world was awash in blood. Mia smiled very, very slowly. She didn't get to the top of her game by not knowing how to take advantage of an opportunity when she came across one. And this new, burning power was most assuredly an opportunity that should not be passed up.  
  
Finally succumbing to the blackness at the edge of her vision that had always been there, she began the long walk from the park to her enemy's house.  
  
'Just wait, Usagi,' Mia thought darkly, 'you'll regret even being reborn in this century.'  
  
  
  
  
  
**New York**  
  
The girl that Mia was thinking about was totally unaware that someone even hated her with that much passion. Usagi had pretty much figured that the only people that had ever hated her were good and dead now, so there wasn't much to worry about. Life was good, and she informed Mary of this while dancing down the street.  
  
Mary ran after her, protesting. "But what about the person that was trying to kill you?"  
  
Usagi stopped and stared at the other girl like she had no idea what she was talking about. "I have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
Mary slapped her forehead, and simply trailed after Usagi as they walked the green mile towards her Uncle's house. A thought crossed Usagi's mind.  
  
"Hey Mary, you think we'll be in trouble when we get back?"  
  
Mary let out a wail. "I totally forgot about that! What will I do? My life is OVER! My career as my uncle's well paid maid is OVER!"  
  
Usagi sweat-dropped and patted the sobbing girl awkwardly on the back. "Erm.it'll be okay." She said lamely.  
  
Mary let out another wail. She obviously didn't believe the blonde. Usagi hung her head, and then grabbed Mary's ear. Taking a deep breath, she stated her mind. Loudly.  
  
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"  
  
Everyone on the street (including Mary) stopped and stared at her. She gave them all Hiiro's amazingly effective Glare O' Death and they all scattered. She grabbed Mary's arm and proceeded into the mansion. They were greeted by none other than Sanagi.  
  
Usagi dropped Mary and then gave Sangai an evil look. "We didn't get any clothes because our shopping time was interrupted by a fucked up lady trying to kill me. And everyone else too, I guess. Then a hunter came up and tried to kill me too, but I discouraged him from that. Now what were you so mad about today?"  
  
Sanagi actually smiled. "I'm not so mad anymore, I was mostly startled earlier. The computer---Piper, did you call her? Yes, well it seems that it has a relatively risqué sense of humor, because she was watching as I was taking a shower."  
  
Usagi giggled. "Why Mr. Natoku, are you *blushing*?"  
  
He was. "No."  
  
"Sure."  
  
He collected himself, and attempted to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Did you at least get a formal dress? No? Well then you can borrow one of Mary's. Run along and get changed. We're having a party tonight."  
  
"Uncle, who's going to be there?"  
  
Sanagi paused, and tried to remember who he had invited. "Ah, yes. Relena Peacecraft will be there with the Gundam pilots, I believe. We make some extraordinarily advanced technological software that she wants to use for her Gundams. Why?"  
  
Mary smiled. "I just wanted to know how we should dress."  
  
He couldn't for the life of him imagine why Usagi was wearing such a sadistic smile.  
  
  
  
  
  
**Camp Happy Pines**  
  
"I'M COMING TOO!"  
  
"No."  
  
"YES!"  
  
"No. You'd be in the way."  
  
"I'M HER GODDAMNED BEST FRIEND!"  
  
"A nuisance, too."  
  
Lorraine shrieked in frustration and stomped off to go yell at Relena, who was entering the clearing. The blonde looked around, frowning slightly.  
  
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" the black girl screeched.  
  
Relena stared at her, and then craned her neck to glare up at Hiiro, who was (as usual) totally ignoring her. "Hiiro, what on Earth are you up to?"  
  
Duo looked down from the hatch of his Gundam. "We're going to un-kidnap Usagi."  
  
Relena frowned worse. "You don't even know where she is!"  
  
Quatre smiled slightly. "That's the basis of a Search and Retrieve mission. We're going to find her, and bring her back. It will be simple."  
  
The princess rubbed her temples. "Can you just put it off for a while? We've been invited to a party by Mr. Sanagi Natoku, about the new software for your Gundams. Now what were you screaming about "being frozen"?"  
  
Tsuzumi pushed off her tree and stalked over to the inquiring Relena. "Basically, it's like this. Someone knew that Trunks, Goten, and Ranma would have the means to dispose of the police in order to save their beloved Usagi, and so they froze them along with the pilots over there. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to do this alone, then."  
  
Relena blinked. "Whatever do you mean?"  
  
Tsuzumi glared at Relena some more. "Her kidnapper is not going to kill her. He, actually, likes her. But he does not have the means to protect someone that is constantly targeted by dark creatures. I won't "rescue" her, but I will protect her until you get your collective asses into gear."  
  
She closed her eyes, and smirked. "I haven't done this in a while. Chaos Destructive Power," she hissed.  
  
And then she was suddenly a different person. She was wearing a ripped black Greek toga, gold sandals, and was holding a long staff with a black crystal on the end. Long black wings sprouted from her back, and a blood red crystal sat on her brow, held there by a thin silver chain.  
  
"Damn you, Moon," she murmured before leaping into the air.  
  
Everyone stared after her in shock, before Lorraine let out an excited squeal. Bleac leaped at the black girl and clapped her hand over her mouth.  
  
"Say it, and die."  
  
Lorraine ripped Bleac's hand away and beamed at the pissed redhead. "That was so fucking COOL!"  
  
  
  
  
  
****  
  
the power was so close. it was so unbelievably close.  
  
maybe if it tired harder  
  
it would get that ... power  
  
but the other power.  
  
the hurricane of hate was exploding never to be stopped killing everything never giving life a chance hate (it's all your fault I hate you)  
  
hate  
  
hate  
  
(like me)  
  
want sleeping power  
  
half awake not strong enough to protect against greater powers that need souls curling bubbling needs prodding but what to do?  
  
(you killed me) kill power or wake it up kill woken or wake other up so they can fight and one can survive?  
  
(I didn't survive, momma)  
  
(and now you can die too)  
  
And below the earth, something reached for the sky.  
  
****  
  
The gods and goddesses gathered above the pool, gazing down at it without making a sound. Images flashed. A red hate. A great love. Usagi's smiling face, and then Mia's scowling one. Lorraine's laughter. Sanagi's fascination. Minako's confusion. Haruka's anger. Ami's wonder. And a creature's pain.  
  
A thought slid like quicksilver through their minds.  
  
"This war is gonna kick ass." 


	8. Chapter 8

Good Riddance  
  
  
  
"That, dear Shy, is pink."  
  
Mary looked up at her with big brown eyes. "Yes, I know it is. I'm not colorblind, whatever you might think, Bunny. Anyways, pink is a lovely color on you!"  
  
"Maybe you didn't hear me correctly. That dress is pink."  
  
Mary sighed, quit trying to tie the back of her own dress, and spun around to face Usagi. Planting her fists on her hips, she scowled at the girl who was sitting on the bed trying to fry the *pink* dress with her Glare O' Death.  
  
"Bunny. I thought you were "fucking" the punk label."  
  
Usagi was actually starting to look panicky. Pink was very obviously getting to her. "I am! But everything was pink in my old life! AND I'M ALLERGIC! I HAVE PINKOPHOBIA!" she wailed.  
  
Mary rolled her eyes and picked the dress up. She looked down at it, smirked, and then shoved it into the blonde's face. Usagi screamed and threw herself backwards. Away from the dress. Mary smiled sadistically and advanced on poor, pathetic Usagi.  
  
"Here Bunny! Here, Bunny, Bunny, Bunny!" she crooned.  
  
Usagi backed up as the evil teen advanced on her, holding that dreaded PINK dress. She kept on backing up until she ran into something. Looking behind her, she discovered that the something was another servant's legs. Ooooh! And he was cute. Pulling a total Lorraine, she latched onto him, sobbing.  
  
"Help me! Please!"  
  
He promptly blushed and tried to detach himself. Mary scowled at the sobbing Usagi. The blonde caught the look and smirked. She squeezed him tighter and buried her face into his chest.  
  
"I'm so scared! I really am a pinkophobiac! You have to save me!"  
  
His face went even redder, if it was possible. Mary's cheeks were flushed with anger.  
  
"Let go of him, Bunny!"  
  
The accused clung to her lifesaver all the more tightly. Pushing her lower lip out, she looked at Mary mockingly. "But why, Shy dear?"  
  
This was fun, Usagi thought giggling, as she peeked up at Mary before hiding her face in his shirt again. Mary let out a shriek of anger and threw the pink dress down.  
  
"BECAUSE I LIKE HIM! NOW LET GO!"  
  
Realizing just what she had said, she clapped her hands over her mouth and looked like she wanted to crawl under a rock and never come out. Her face went unbelievably red as Usagi watched in fascination. She honestly hadn't even known that it was possible to *get* that red. Honest to god.wow. And she was getting redder. But Mary's blush was nothing compared to the.guy's. He looked like a cherry tomato. Oh well. That makes a couple.  
  
Usagi beamed at them and detached herself from the guy's chest. "Well, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone! Toodloo and ta ta for now!"  
  
The blonde headed for the door, grabbing a red dress on the way out. Exiting into the hall, she slammed and locked the door behind her. Leaning against the door, she exhaled loudly, drawing the attention of a group of people. One, who she finally realized was Sanagi, led the group over to her.  
  
"And this," he was saying, "is my new assistant, Tsukino Usagi. She's a wizard with computers, isn't that right, Usagi?"  
  
The bunny in question tossed one of her pigtails over her shoulder and shrugged in one fluid motion. Time to play nice. "Mr. Natoku.I hardly think I'm that good.." She murmured demurely.  
  
She looked up at them through her thick eyelashes. Catching Sanagi's eye, she winked. He smiled at her, plainly pleased that she actually wasn't totally a retarded rebel. Rebel was okay. You had to be a rebel if you wanted to be anyone, but retarded rebels aren't anything but people in orange suits picking up crap on the streets.  
  
"And over here," Sanagi said moving them away, "is the game room where we entertained the President for a night."  
  
Usagi let out a sigh of relief that they were gone, and then realized why Sanagi moved them on so quickly. Since she had been trying on dresses in Mary's room, she wasn't wearing much..  
  
"AAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!"  
  
The servants lifted their silver platters above their heads as the now familiar blonde blur zoom past. Once the danger was past, they all lowered them and went about their business, just like nothing had ever happened.  
  
Usagi yanked her door open, threw herself inside, and slammed the door behind her. She stood with her back pressed against the door, panting. Groaning, she slid to the floor.  
  
WHY DID THESE THINGS HAPPEN TO HER? Sure, she was okay sleeping on an air mattress in the middle of a lake with a bunch of guys.but in front of a bunch of middle aged LOSERS that sat there and let their lives gather DUST! ICK! She shuddered, and whirled to stomp over to the bathroom to get into her dress. Usagi spread the dress out and looked at it distastefully. It wasn't pink, yes, but it *so* wasn't her style.  
  
She damn well better fix it before all her dignity was destroyed by stepping out of her room in a dress that looked like red shit. What to do, what to do? Usagi scanned the bathroom for inspiration, and simply by chance, her eyes fell on a pen.  
  
HA! In your face, Liko Mia, she thought triumphantly. I've got one thing that has Moon power in it, she thought to herself victoriously. Pulling out the Moon Disguise Pen, she banged it experimentally on the counter. Nothing happened. The tiny moon bunny frowned, and whacked it on the counter even harder. This time a few sparks flew.  
  
"Moon Disguise Pen! Change me into a Ranko outfit!"  
  
There was a flash of those disgusting pink lights, and then she was suddenly in a tight fitting dress. Usagi turned, and inspected herself in the full length mirror. She was dressed in a red dress (I don't know how to explain it, think Shampoo from Ranma ½ ) There was a gold dragon on the chest region, and a long slit going up to her left thigh. Strappy red heels were tied to her feet, and she held a beautiful fan. Even her blonde odangos were decorated.  
  
Giving a spin, she winked at herself before sitting down to play a few video games before the party started.  
  
**In the air somewhere above the Atlantic Ocean**  
  
"Lorra.."  
  
The girl gave a squeak of terror and clutched her life-raft more tightly. She was so scared, she felt like she wanted to piss herself. The black girl was really, honest-to-god terrified.  
  
"I CAN BARELY BREATHE!"  
  
Lorraine smiled sheepishly, and loosened her death grip on Trunks' neck. "I can't help it! I HATE HEIGHTS!"  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes and looked over at Goten, who was carrying Bleac, and looking very smug about it. As loud at the Irish chick may be, she was.curvy to say the least. Lorraine also had ample curves, but less than Bleac, seeing as how they liked different things. When it came down to moving, anyways.  
  
Bleac and Lorraine both liked to swim, play sports, flirt, and dance. But Bleac did it looking like.a sloth, or something. Pretty, but very slow moving. Lorraine was a laughing, shrieking, leaping ball of unstoppable energy. So it was really unexpected when Usagi, Bleac, and Lorraine had formed an unbreakable bond.  
  
So. As a result of these character differences, Goten had carrying Bleac considerably easier than Trunks over there, attempting to calm the wriggling Lorraine. Ranma, flying sort of slowly behind them (he was a beginner and had to carry Nick) was clearly enjoying the show. Lorraine would scream, Trunks would bellow at her, Goten would tell him to "shut the fuck up" (loudly), Bleac would whimper in fear of being dropped, and Ranma would crack up and forget how to fly, making Nick yell and Lorraine scream and starting the whole fucking process over again.  
  
It was highly entertaining.  
  
A though suddenly crossed Nick's mind as Ranma almost dropped him. "Hey guys, do you think Duo and everyone knows that we're here? I mean, that one Hiiro dude looks like he's kinda trigger happy."  
  
Lorraine giggled, and hugged Trunks. "It'll be okay! I saw him kiss Bunny- chan once, and she looked totally wowed. It was so kawaii!" she squealed.  
  
Ranma almost forgot to fly again, as this new information sunk in. Nick yelped a protest when he finally decided that the water was getting a little too close. Ranma corrected his flight, and regained stability.  
  
"Hiiro.kissed.Bunny?"  
  
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! How did these things happen to him? First was Akane, whom he had actually been attracted to, until she showed her true colors. Then came Shampoo, but she was always treating him like a damned prize. Ucchan, too. Then came Usagi, and he had really, genuinely liked her. A lot. And now someone was beating her to him? Never!  
  
Meanwhile, as Ranma thought, Lorraine was rambling on about how cute Usagi and Hiiro were together. "Yeah, when I saw him kiss her I was like: "OH MY FUCKING GOD, HE'S GONNA DIE!"  
  
She paused, going back over her facts, and then nodded decisively. "Yeah, that's what I though. But anyways, as you can all see very clearly, he's NOT dead, so there *has* to be something going on between them! Because I saw some other loser from a different cabin kiss her, and BAM! She punched him right to the next century. I think he had to be sent to the hospital.he had a broken nose, I think. BUT WOW! It kicked ass! After that one other bastard that she called a boyfriend, she sure has gotten around! What do y'all think of Duo? I've seen him sneaking a few peeks at her too! I know *you* two don't like her, because you'd be totally flipping out right now, like Ranma is back there. Eep! Okay, I'll be shutting up now.."  
  
"Thank you, Lorraine!" Ranma snapped.  
  
There was a long pause. "And I wasn't flipping out," he added grouchily.  
  
  
  
  
  
**New York**  
  
"How long do you think it'll take her to wake up?"  
  
"I have no godly idea, but I'll let you wake her up. Dinner's about to start."  
  
"Why do I have to wake her up?"  
  
"Don't make it sound like a big deal!" Mary exclaimed, backing away. "She's not hard to wake up at all!"  
  
"Then why are you backing up?"  
  
"To pressure you into responsibility!"  
  
"HEY!" Piper interjected, "You wanna see something freaky? Look at her dream!"  
  
The TV clicked on, suddenly showing a little girl sitting on a marble staircase that wound up into the heights of.wherever the little girl was. It suddenly occurred to Mary that the little girl looked an awful lot like Usagi. The tiny girl, only about four, was being perfectly still, obviously so she wouldn't ruin the beautiful dress. A girl in a maid uniform bustled over to the girl.  
  
~*~  
  
"Ohayo, Princess Serenity! How are you today?"  
  
The little girl, Serenity, didn't even move. "I'm fine, thank you very much."  
  
"Why are you sitting so still?"  
  
The tiny girl looked up into the woman's smiling face. "Because Mommy told me not to move."  
  
The woman almost winced. She had just come from the meeting room, where the Queen was actually going to be putting on a meeting. The small princess was going to be waiting a long time for her mother to come.  
  
"Princess. Usagi. Do you want to come with me? I'm sure Princess Minako would love to see you!"  
  
~*~  
  
Mary's mouth dropped open, while the servant boy just watched the little girl, and then looked over at the sleeping girl. Both of whom were called Usagi. The brown haired girl's mind was racing. THE LITTLE PRINCESS AND USAGI WERE THE SAME PEOPLE! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! FREAKINESS OF THE CENTURY!  
  
~*~  
  
"No thank you ma'am," Usagi was saying politely, "I'll wait here for Mommy, thank you for the offer ma'am."  
  
The maid shook her head sadly, and walked away leaving the little princess to sit. And wait.  
  
The image scrambled, and then suddenly showed to images, split on the screen. One scene was showing Chibi Usagi and another chibi talking. The other chibi was talking.  
  
"We'll be friends forever, Usa-chan!"  
  
Serenity threw her chubby arms around the other girl. "Thanks a lot, Mia- chan!"  
  
But then the other screen showed the same two girls, but older. Serenity--- Usagi, Mary thought in shock--- ran up to Mia and went to hug her. Mia threw Serenity's arms off and backed away, glaring at her. Serenity looked confused.  
  
"What's wrong Mia-chan? It's our sweet sixteen! We should be celebrating!"  
  
Mia's face twisted into a scowl. "I'll never celebrate anything with YOU, Princess." The girl turned on her heel and began to walk away.  
  
Serenity panicked, and ran after her one time friend. "Mia-chan, wait!" she cried, grabbing her arm.  
  
Mia spun, and let her hand fly. It connected with the side of Serenity's face with a resounding slap. Serenity stood there, staring at Mia in hurt. Mia simply glared at her.  
  
"Do not touch me ever again, Princess Serenity Usagi Tsuki. Never again."  
  
~*~  
  
Mary took a shaky breath. "I think we should wake her up, now. Piper, what was that?"  
  
"Uh.memories, actually. Now wake her up, I don't want to see this again."  
  
The boy, Trey, frowned. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Well," the computer explained, "I know it makes no sense, but in her memories she is Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. Engaged to Prince Endymion of Earth, who is, in this time, Chiba Mamoru. Um.yeah, her dream gets pretty ugly. She goes to this engagement party with Endymion, who she doesn't even like, and then gets killed. Then we get to see the beauty of an abusive household, and THEN we get to see her ripped away from her natural parents and put up for adoption. It's all very lovely OH MY GOD WAKE HER UP I DO NOT WANT TO SEE HER DIE AGAIN!"  
  
Mary smacked her blonde friend across the face, belatedly realizing that this was not the best course of action. Usagi leaped up, screaming and looking for someone to kill. When she only found Trey and Mary, she smiled in relief.  
  
"Ohayo, Shy! Sup Trey?"  
  
"Apparently a lot more than I thought," he said dryly.  
  
Mary whacked him on the arm and frowned at the confused bunny. "Uh, Bunny? We saw you dream.memory.thing. And I'm thinking that you have a lot of explaining to do. But that can wait. It's dinnertime, and I heard that the Gundam pilots are here!"  
  
Usagi had been staring at them in shock, but now she giggled and slapped that sadistic smile on. Mary looked uncomfortable, and decided just to get it over with, and ask Usagi what the hell was going on.  
  
"Bunny, what the hell is going on?"  
  
Usagi's smile widened, if it was possible. "Well, let's just say that this dinner is going to go down in history books."  
  
Mary slapped her forehead. "WHY US?"  
  
Usagi laughed, and bounced up off the floor. Grabbing Mary's arm, she yanked the girl out of the room. Trey followed, and jumped when Piper slammed the door behind him. He stared at the door for a while, and then warily trailed the two girls. He sighed, looked at Mary, and then walked into the kitchen happily. HE HAD A GIRLFRIEND!!!!!  
  
Usagi and Mary waltzed down the hall giggling, trying to figure out how it went. Well, Mary was trying to figure out how it went, and Usagi was trying to teach her.  
  
"No! Shy, it goes like THIS! One, two, three. One, two, three! Try again!!"  
  
Mary finally pulled away, laughing. "Give it up, Buns. No one's gonna ask me to dance anyways!"  
  
Usagi was laughing too, and pulled Mary over to the door where Sanagi was waiting for them. His face totally lit up when he saw them. He hugged them both, and held out his arms. Usagi and Mary giggled some more, and each placed a hand on an arm.  
  
The herald out there coughed, and raised his voice. "Presenting Sanagi Natoku, his niece Mary Hyland, and his business associate Usagi Tsukino!"  
  
Duo almost dropped his glass when he heard Usagi's name. His blurry mind registered Quatre's smile of relief, Wufei's look of surprise, Trowa's slight smile, and Hiiro's expression of.satisfaction? What was with that? He turned back to watch them descend the staircase, and his breath was stolen AGAIN.  
  
Usagi looked gorgeous. She was wearing a Chinese style dress, and looked ravishing. Duo felt the telltale stirrings in his nether regions, and turned around. 'DO NOT THINK BAD THOUGHTS! HAPPY THOUGHTS!! PETER PAN!! THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS! HAPPY THOUGHTS!! NO!! NOT HAPPY THOUGHTS! HAPPY THOUGHTS B-BAD! His mental chant was shaken by a particularly bad image of Usagi.BAD THOUGHTS! GOOD THOUGHTS! CLEAN! CLEAN!!!  
  
Hiiro felt like running up and shooting Sanagi. Usagi was really the first person to ever make him feel anything but pissed off. Well, Usagi pissed him off plenty. Especially when she took it to mind that she needed to run away. Remembering the scene at the "fucked up playground" he ALMOST laughed. But not quite. Laughing would be bad. After all, he was the Perfect Soldier. Glancing up at the blonde girl, one would never suspect that she was anything up the innocent angel she was rumored to be. Her amazingly blue eyes met his, and she made a face at him. Hiiro scowled at her, and turned back to the punch table.  
  
Usagi giggled when Hiiro scowled. Sanagi twitched his arm in warning, reminding her to be perfect. He obviously thought that she had forgotten about his earlier threat. But how did she want to look? Um.icy? Lively? Ah.screw it all. Duo was looking like he was having anatomical problems in the lower area, Quatre and Trowa looked pleased that they didn't have to find her anyways, and Wufei was looking like he couldn't decide whether to be pissed that she let herself be kidnapped or to be happy that they found her.  
  
God, it was fun to play with people. Usagi really was touched that they wanted to find her. Then her mind ground to a halt. HOLD UP! If they were here.that would mean that they didn't bring her buds with them. Which would mean that they were here, trying out their own rescue operation.  
  
This was gonna be a crazy ass party, she thought smilingly as they stepped onto the marble floor.  
  
  
  
  
  
**Tokyo**  
  
Ding, dong.  
  
Ikuko looked up when the bell rang. She had been having a nice conversation with Minako, Ami, Rei, and Makoto after they had established that the Senshi were planning on stealing the Crystal back form Mia and returning it to Usagi. They exchanged a look, and then Minako jumped up to answer the door.  
  
She flung it open, and then stared at Mia, who was standing on the porch dripping wet. Venus plastered on a huge, totally fake smile.  
  
"Er.hullo Mia.."  
  
"May I come in?"  
  
"Uh.hang on a sec.."  
  
Minako closed the door and walked back to the living room. Bulma, Ikuko, and everyone looked up at her. "Who was it?" the older women asked together.  
  
Minako shrugged and sat down on the floor next to the fire. "No one. A sales rep."  
  
Ding, dong.  
  
Ami sighed, and stood. "I'll get it this time."  
  
A couple seconds later, Ami came back into the room and sat down, much like Minako had. They exchanged a look, and smirked. Mia wasn't getting in here. Rei and Makoto smiled, knowing what was going on.  
  
Suddenly the doorbell rang again, and this time Ikuko reached the door before anyone else could even get up. Usagi's mother opened the door smiling. This smile disappeared when she beheld Mia standing there.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Mia shifted uncomfortably. "Ano, here," she said thrusting something into Ikuko's hands. "Take this, and give it to Tsukino whenever she comes back into town."  
  
The girl turned, walked back down the steps, and retreated. Ikuko stared after her, and then looked down at the package. Unwrapping the washcloth from around it, her eyes finally fell upon the glittering crystal that had caused monumental trouble. Shaking her head in amazement, she closed the door and headed back to the little pow-wow the girls had going on.  
  
"Girls.Liko-san returned the Crystal. I don't understand. By the way you were describing her, I would have thought that she would rather die than return this," she exclaimed, waving the gem around.  
  
Ami frowned, and suddenly thrust her transformation pen into the air. "Mercury Crystal Power!"  
  
Then Sailor Mercury was standing there. Mercury whipped out her computer and immediately began receiving information. Her eyes flickered across the screen as she typed.  
  
"Alright. We have good news and bad news. The good news is that I've pinpointed Usagi's position, we can teleport to where she is, and we can bring her crystal with us. The bad news is that Usagi isn't really.Usagi anymore, Mia is too powerful for someone that doesn't have any magic, and there is a youma in Central Park, about ten blocks from where Usagi is."  
  
Makoto threw up her hands. "Wait, wait, wait. I thought Central Park was in New York."  
  
"It is. Usagi's in New York City."  
  
Ikuko jumped up. "BUT SHE'S SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE SUMMER CAMP!"  
  
Rei frowned at the hyperventilating woman. "Tsukino-san, you have to realize that when you're Usagi, all sorts of unpredictable things happen. Like getting blinded in a fire. Like regaining your sight. Like becoming.a demon. Like somehow ending up on a different continent. That's just Usagi. That's life."  
  
  
  
  
  
**Somewhere in New York City**  
  
"Where the fuck is that girl?"  
  
"Well don't ask me," Nick snapped. "I sure as hell don't know."  
  
"C'est la vie!" Lorraine exclaimed.  
  
Everyone stared at her. "Excuse me?" Ranma asked.  
  
Lorraine shook her head. "Non, non! C'est pardon moi!"  
  
"What?"  
  
Lorraine threw her hands into the air in exasperation. "Je parle francais! J'entourer moi-meme avec idiots!"  
  
All she got was blank stares. Then Bleac piped up. "I think she's saying something along the lines of: "It is life! No, no! It's excuse me! I speak French! I surround myself with idiots!" Or something like that."  
  
Lorraine nodded wearily. "Oui. A la moindre quelqu'un n'est pas un idiot!"  
  
"And that meant "Yes. At least someone isn't an idiot." Hey! Thanks!"  
  
"Non probleme!"  
  
Nick, Trunks, and Goten sighed. Just what they needed. A French chick that spontaneously refused to speak English. Fabulous. That just made the day.  
  
While Lorraine was rambling away in French, Bleac and Goten were inspecting the map. As they attempted to figure out where the hell to go, the nice, calm discussion almost broke into a war. Trunks rolled his eyes, and separated them. The redhead and the "low-class baka's son" glared at him, and then back at each other.  
  
"Uh, Goten? We can just track her energy signature, dumbass."  
  
Goten laughed sheepishly. "Right.I knew that, Trunks! I was just testing you!"  
  
Trunks sighed heavily, and scratched the back of his head. "Um.I think she's this way."  
  
Lorraine screeched something in French, making a startled pedestrian look at her in shock, and then yell something in French right back. This instantly erupted into a flurry of fast words that were making Goten's head spin. Why did he have to know all the psychos?  
  
They eventually got Lorraine away from the New Yorker, and back on the Usagi-finding path. The black girl was looking really pissed off, but still refused to speak in English. Bleac was getting pissed at Lorraine, and so she fired a volley of Celtic at the girl.  
  
Lorraine and Bleac stared at each other for a while, and then busted up laughing, talking to each other in Celtic and French. Nevermind the fact that they had no godly idea what the other was saying.  
  
As Lorraine would fondly say, "C'est la vie!"  
  
  
  
  
  
**Dinner party**  
  
Usagi whirled around the dance floor with Quatre, smiling happily. "God, it's great to see y'all again! So how have you and Trowa been, Quat-kun?"  
  
Quatre actually blushed. "We've been well, Usagi-san. It's nice to see you again, also."  
  
Usagi laughed at him. "You don't need to be so formal, Quat-kun! We're friends, and unless you plan to kill me, we can be informal. If you do indeed plan on my death, by all means, let us be formal," Usagi said, smiling.  
  
He shook his head vehemently. "I would never kill you!"  
  
A couple whirling by them looked at them strangely, and he blushed hotly, causing Usagi to giggle. As she spun past, she almost cracked up, completely blowing her cover. A few feet away from them, Relena was trying to dance with Hiiro. They were about five feet apart, and Hiiro was all stiff. Their hands were connected by their fingertips, and the hand that was on her waist was only touching by the fingertips too. Usagi caught several couples sniggering as they danced by. Hiiro shot Usagi a look that said "Laugh and die".  
  
A large smile broke out on her face, and Hiiro's glare worsened. The "Laugh and Die" look changed to "Smile and Die". Unfortunately, the sight was just too hilarious *not* to smile! Usagi looked away, and tried to control the shaking of her shoulders. She felt the laughter rumbling through her tiny frame, and then felt Hiiro's glare fasten to her back. Damn. He noticed her laughing. She snuck a peek at his face, and almost crashed to the floor. The "Smile and Die" look had now changed to "If you don't stop laughing AND smiling, I'm dancing with you next!"  
  
She instantly pulled a frown to her face and went stiff. Sadly, this made the uncontrollable shaking in her shoulders all the more noticeable. Now Quatre looked like he wanted to laugh, as he watched Usagi's face go through an amazing array of contortions. Usagi snuck another peek at Hiiro, and groaned.  
  
His face now read "Omae o korosu."  
  
Fabulous.  
  
The dance finally ended, and Quatre retreated to the refreshment table. Hiiro broke away from Relena and honed in on Usagi like a shark going after a poor, pathetic, dumb birdie. God, how many times will the dumb birdie be eaten? Several times more, her mind told her glumly.  
  
Hiiro grabbed her hand and put his hand on her waist right as the first bars of the song began. Suddenly the song stopped, and there were murmured voices. Then the lilting strings of a violin played into the air, followed shortly by the piano. Usagi twisted around, and made eye contact with the pianist. The sandy haired tomboy winked at her princess, and turned her attention back to the piano.  
  
"Someone you know?"  
  
Usagi looked up at Hiiro, startled, and then nodded, smirking. "Yeah. We're really close," she purred, knowing that Hiiro would see Haruka as a man. Just like everyone else.  
  
"Ah, I see. I never knew you leaned towards girls."  
  
Usagi's cheeks flamed. "I don't!"  
  
Then she realized what he had just done, and she scowled up at him. Amazingly, she found a tiny smile playing on his face. Then he noticed it was there, and killed it. Usagi sighed, and thought about how to fluster the stoic man. Then it came to her. She moved forward slightly, and moved her face up until it was nearly touching his.  
  
"You're a fabulous dancer," she murmured in a practiced whisper. The words themselves were perfectly harmless, but when Usagi said it, it took on a whole new realm of meaning.  
  
Sure enough, he shivered. Usagi smiled triumphantly, and tilted her head slightly, so that her lips were a centimeter from his face. "I'm sure you've had practice"  
  
A few feet away, Duo watched in amazement as Hiiro's cheeks went pink. Was that even possible? Oh God, what was she SAYING? To make Hiiro blush.BAD THOUGHTS!!! MUST BE CLEAN! MUST BE CLEAN! But what could she possibly be *saying*? NO NO NO NO NO!!!!! BAD THOUGHTS ARE BAD!  
  
Sanagi was also watching Usagi with the eyes of a hawk. He had Yui Hiiro's files, and so he knew that Hiiro had been trained to be emotionless. Which was why he felt considerably threatened when Hiiro's blushed. He was actually about to go break it up, when a guard came up to him, and stood at attention.  
  
"Report," Sanagi said smiling.  
  
"We have intruders."  
  
...."Where are we going?" Usagi asked as she was dragged down a hall by her employer.  
  
Sanagi glanced down at her. "There are intruders, and we believe that they're after you."  
  
"MOURIR!" someone screamed.  
  
"Gee, thanks Lorraine FOR BLOWING OUR COVER!"  
  
"Zut."  
  
"That meant "DIE" and then "Darn.""  
  
"Shut up, Bleac."  
  
"Gotcha!"  
  
Suddenly Trunks, Ranma, and Goten burst from the shadows, roaring. Trunks grabbed Usagi who was smiling happily, and blasted into the air. She waved down at Sanagi, who was looking like he wanted very badly to cry.  
  
"I'll SEE YOU AFTER I GRADUATE! DON'T FORGET TO CALL!"  
  
A few seconds later, Ranma appeared carrying Nick, and Goten carrying Lorraine and Bleac. Usagi wriggled a little in Trunks' arms.  
  
"I can fly, dumb ass."  
  
"Right!"  
  
He dropped her, and she spiraled towards the water screaming at the top of her lungs. After finally remembering how to fly, she zoomed back up to them, and yanked Lorraine from Ranma. The black girl gave Usagi a huge hug.  
  
"I MISSED YOU BUNNY!"  
  
Bleac beamed at them. "She said: "I MISSED YOU BUNNY!"  
  
Nick glared at her. "Bleac? She said it in Japanese. WE KNOW WHAT SHE SAID YOU DUMB ASS!"  
  
"Well pardon moi!"  
  
Goten almost dropped her. "No more French!" he warned.  
  
Usagi looked back and forth between them. "Did I miss something? Because you guys are acting like freaky people that don't appreciate the beauty of the French language!" she cried dramatically.  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes. "Once we landed in New York, Frenchie here decided that she couldn't fucking speak Japanese like most OTHER PEOPLE HERE!"  
  
Lorraine shrugged, and gave him a huge smile. "I love you!"  
  
"Oh God."  
  
  
  
  
  
~*~  
  
Okay guys, get a load of this. I was flipping through one of those Shel Silverstein poem books, and here's what I found! God, I love this.  
  
One Two, by Shel Silverstein  
  
  
  
  
  
One two, buckle my shoe,  
  
"Buckle your own shoe!"  
  
Who said that?  
  
"I did! What are you doing with those silly buckles on your shoes anyways?"  
  
Three four, shut the door  
  
"You shut it---you opened it!"  
  
Er.five six, pick up sticks  
  
"Why should I pick them up - do you think I'm your slave? Shut the door, pick up sticks, next thing, you'll be telling me to lay them straight!"  
  
But it's only a poem.nine ten, a big fat.oh, nevermind.  
  
  
  
  
  
LOL! Isn't that GREAT? Okay, it's over now. All over. You're gonna actually have to wait for two fucking weeks for the next chapter, CUZ I'M GROUNDED AGAIN! Shutting up now. Forget that note right now, by the time this gets posted it'll have been.seven weeks of grounding for reasons I would rather not mention. Thanks for reading! 


	9. Chapter Nine!

Good Riddance  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, "GONE"?"  
  
Mr. Sanagi Natoku cleared his throat and tried to maneuver his was around the angry man. If he had known that the "un-kidnappage" of Usagi would cause so much trouble, he would have at least done more to prevent his blonde employee's abrupt, smiling departure. Well, at least she'd be back after she graduated. That was always a bonus.  
  
"Sir, I assure you that Miss Tsukino is in good hands."  
  
chibi pic of Lorraine and Usagi attacking Trunks, and Nick falling towards the ocean with a huge mouth  
  
The man advanced on him. Sanagi gulped. He had never learned what it felt like to be beaten up, and he didn't really intend on discovering the feeling.  
  
"Listen, Natoku, there are two things you need to know. Number one, I'm a fucking woman. Number two, USAGI IS NOT SAFE UNLESS I CAN SEE HER!"  
  
He took a step back. "Now see here---"  
  
"I know where she is!" someone interjected.  
  
Haruka and Sangai looked down at Duo, who was twirling his braid happily. "She's back at camp."  
  
The racer humphed. "And *why* would she go back to that hell whole?"  
  
Duo rolled his eyes. "Hello? Anyone home? ALL OF HER BUDDIES ARE THERE!"  
  
Haruka glared at him. "And you would know this how?"  
  
"Because I'm a volunteer at that camp."  
  
"How well do you know her?"  
  
He blinked. "Uh.pretty well."  
  
Haruka grabbed the collar of his shirt. Bringing her face right up close to his, she growled at him. "And just how well is "pretty well", braided baka?"  
  
Duo gulped, and tried to wriggle his way out of Haruka's strong grasp. No such luck. After deciding that he would not get out on his own, he began searching for help.  
  
"HII-CHAN! WU-MAN! Q-MAN! TROWA! HELP! BUNNY'S OVER-PROTECTIVE FRIEND IS GONNA KILL ME!!! YOU'VE GOTTA HELP!"  
  
The other four pilots appeared out of the shadows. Wufei observed the scene, and smirked. "Load off my back. Duo, you're weak. To allow a weak onna to kill you." He shook his head. "Pathetic," he added.  
  
Haruka dropped Duo, who began thanking Bunny for watching over him, and advanced on Wufei. "What did you say, Chinaman?"  
  
Wufei glared at her. "I said you were a weak onna. Which is true."  
  
"WHY YOU---"  
  
"HARUKA! Stop this instant! We need to find the others, re-determine Usa- hime's position, and give her the Crystal. We should find the Inners first, because they owe her an apology," Michiru said breaking through the ring of near violence.  
  
Haruka sighed, and turned to Michiru, nodding to show that she agreed. Michiru took the other woman's hand and began to lead her out of the room. The aqua haired woman dragged her friend into another, more secluded area, and met Haruka's eyes.  
  
"Neptune Planet Power!"  
  
"Uranus Planet Power!"  
  
"Teleport!" the two women cried together.  
  
And then they were gone.  
  
  
  
  
  
**Camp Happy Pines**  
  
Lexie patted James on his shoulder awkwardly. When it was discovered that everyone out of Cabin 10 had mysteriously disappeared, James had found a log, brushed it off carefully, sat down, and cried like a baby. And here he was. Three days later. Still crying like a baby. And here she was. Sniffling a bit, comforting a big tough guy.  
  
"THEY'RE GONE!" he was wailing. "AM I REALLY THAT HORRIBLE? I FEEL AWFUL!" He broke down and began to sob again. He was very obviously distraught over the loss of his babies.  
  
"There, there," Lexie said comfortingly.  
  
Her hand suddenly stopped in mid-pat, as she strained to listen. Could it be? Could it possibly be the voice that had been missing from their early- morning disruptions? Yes! Yes! It was! Lexie leaped away from James and began the Happy Dance that Usagi had taught her.  
  
Sure enough, Usagi's loud vocals came soaring into the clearing. It really should have been a magical moment. It would have been, too, with Usagi floating gently down to land neatly on her feet, except that the song she was blaring was anything but magical.  
  
"Shut the fuck up, she said, I'm going fucking deaf you're always too loud, everything's too loud! Now that all my friends left, this place is fucking dead I wanna move out, why can't we move out? This shit has got to stop. I'll run away! Get the fuck up, she said, your life is meaningless it's going nowhere, you're going nowhere. You're just a fuck up, she said, I'll live alone instead, she said "you don't care", I know I don't care! I'll never ask permission from you, fuck off, I'm not listening to you. I'm not coming home. I'm never going to come back home! Oh yeah, baby! BLINK 182!! SHUT *UP* NICK!"  
  
Nick came tumbling out of the sky a second later, landing right on top of Usagi. Lorraine and Bleac landed on the three seconds later (screaming as loudly as humanly possible) and finally Ranma, Trunks, and Goten landed, arms crossed, smirking.  
  
Lorraine peered down over the top of the pile, and busted up laughing when she saw one of Usagi's odangos in Nick's mouth. He made a face, and spit it out.  
  
"God Usagi! What to you put in your hair? Flowers or something?"  
  
Bleac started laughing so hard that she actually toppled off the "dog pile". Lorraine joined her on the ground shortly afterwards, rolling on the floor laughing hysterically.  
  
Usagi glared up at them from beneath Nick, who was displaying his amazing lack of ability to move at any speed over that of a fucking SNAIL. She took a deep breath, and smiled thinly.  
  
"GET THE FUCK OFF OF MY BACK, NICK!"  
  
Laughing, he stood up and got off of her back, holding out a hand to help her up. Now, in all honesty, she would have been perfectly fine with accepting his help to her feet, except for the fact that he was still laughing. So she grabbed his wrist, yanked down, planted her feet into his stomach, and flipped him over her head, ending up on her feet.  
  
She smiled down at the shocked boy. "Gee, thanks Nick. You're swell. Hey James!"  
  
The advisor got to his feet very, very slowly. He rubbed his eyes as if he couldn't quite believe that Usagi and company were really there. After a few minutes of frantic rubbing, he accepted fact and threw his arms open wide.  
  
"TRUNKS BABY!"  
  
For some reason the man couldn't understand why Trunks ran away at top speed screaming as loud as it was physically possible. Apparently Trunks was homophobic. Never saw *that* one coming..  
  
  
  
  
  
**Cabin 10**  
  
"You're joking, right?"  
  
Lexie shook her head. "I kid you not. You guys came back just in time for the talent show. I was absolutely terrified that I'd have to go up against the other cabins all alone. I would have no idea what the hell to do!"  
  
Bleac laughed and tossed her curls over her shoulder. "Lex, Lex, Lex. You're from Cabin 10. You'd figure something out. Do you know why?"  
  
"Because our Cabin kicked ass before, it kicks ass now, and it'll always kick ass," Lorraine said, smiling.  
  
"It's just a fact," Usagi finished grinning. "So what are we gonna do?"  
  
"A SONG!" Lorraine screeched.  
  
"Well, duh," Bleac said rolling her eyes.  
  
"I KNOW!! I KNOW!"  
  
"What should we do?" Usagi mused.  
  
"I KNOW, I KNOW!"  
  
Bleac shrugged. "I don't have a clue. I'm just a simple Irish chick. Yes, Nick, that's where Irish people are made."  
  
"YOU GUYS ARE IGNORING ME!" Lorraine finally screamed.  
  
Everyone burst out laughing, and Lorraine just glared at them. "Fine. Take it out on the poor, depraved French chick. Discrimination! Discrimination, I tell you!"  
  
"Aw, stuff it girl."  
  
"Yet I wish at least *someone* had an idea.." Bleac murmured thoughtfully.  
  
Lorraine stomped her foot and grabbed a fistful of Bleac's red curls. The French girl yanked as hard as she could, earning a scream from the redhead.  
  
"I HATE YOU, BLEAC!"  
  
Bleac kicked the other girl as hard as she could, and removed her hair from peril as gently as she could. After checking for any damage, she kicked Lorraine again, getting a satisfying howl from her.  
  
"Don't touch the hair, chica. I love this hair. I brush, lather, rinse, repeat, condition, dry, comb, and brush my hair, and I'll be damned if anyone destroys what I have rightfully earned!"  
  
Usagi blinked, and rubbed her head. "Are you by any chance obsessive- compulsive, Bleac?"  
  
She blinked, and spun to face the blonde. "Yeah, I am! How did you find out?"  
  
"Gee, I wonder," muttered Lorraine from her uncompromising position on the floor.  
  
"Shut UP Lorraine!"  
  
"Well God.anyways, before y'all ignore me again, I think we should do "Heart Attack" by Sum 41 for our thang."  
  
Usagi leaped up. "What a simply marvelous idea! WE!"  
  
Bleac jumped up and thrust her fist into the air. "WILL!"  
  
"KICK!" Lorraine shouted.  
  
"ASS!" they yelled.  
  
  
  
  
  
Later that day, Akane was walking by with her friend, Oka. They were chatting about the general evilness/goodness of boys. The two finally came to the conclusion that boys were bad news. Unless you wanted bad news. Akane, as Oka drew her a mental image of her dear "Omi-chan", could only (unfortunately) think about Ranma. Why, she had no clue. But when she saw that BITCH Tsukino getting a piggyback ride from Ranma, she marched right over to them, intending to break it up once and for all.  
  
"What the hell are you doing, Ranma?"  
  
"HI AKANE!" the bunny yelled.  
  
Ranma blew the strands of blonde hair safely away from his mouth, and attempted to answer. "Well, as you can see, I'm giving Bunny umph phiggy bahck wrhurd."  
  
He began to cough violently, and tried desperately to clear his mouth of Usagi's golden pigtails. Usagi lifted one limp pigtail and stared at it.  
  
"Ranma, there are two things you really ought to know."  
  
"Wonderful."  
  
"Number one," she continued, "is that this is the second fucking time I've had your damned spit in my hair. Second, you fucking killed my hair! Look! It's limp! It's DEAD! You killed it! You're a hair murderer!"  
  
Akane opened her mouth to say something rude, when two girls that were equally famous as the detestable bunny came crashing through the trees. Lorraine Dupont and Bleac Jones. God, *everyone* in cabin 10 was famous. Usagi was famous world wide for her hacking skills, Nick was known for his rather insane actions, Ranma for repeated attacks on various people (and bad grades (in the tens)), Trunks and Goten for heavy use of drugs and for their extreme actions, Tszumi for attempting to kill random people, Lorraine for suicide and drinking (not to mention that she's ABSOLUTELY INSANE), Bleac for robbing several banks (and almost getting away with it. They never did find the cash from two robberies.), and Lexie for getting arrested for graffiti, trespassing, vandalism, and theft. About Lexie, what they forgot to mention is the fact that even though she had been writing "Fuck the authorities" and shit, it was fucking cool artwork.  
  
Akane was getting the feeling that the teams weren't chosen randomly. She was about to go ahead with her rude remark anyways, when Bleac Jones screeched in terror.  
  
"BUNNY! SAVE US!"  
  
"Trunks and Goten are going to KILL US!" Lorraine added, not sounding to distressed.  
  
"Yeah! And we didn't even DO anything!"  
  
"It was a great idea, though. Yummy."  
  
"SHUT UP LORRAINE!"  
  
Usagi's face molded into a hugely over-exaggerated surprised face. "Oh really. What ever did you do?"  
  
Lorraine and Bleac stared at her for a long moment, before the truth dawned on them. "USAGI! YOU'RE GONNA GET US KILLED!" Bleac wailed.  
  
"Sweet! I wish I had thought about it! Where are they?"  
  
Usagi smiled, and looked in the general direction of the lake. Lorraine shrieked, and bounced up and down excitedly. "This is so fucking COOL! I can't believe this! Oh my GAWD! So that's why everyone was making such a cow this morning!"  
  
Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes. Everyone stopped talking, and stared in anticipation at the line of trees. The rustling grew louder, and suddenly Trunks and Goten thundered through the greenery yelling their war cries.  
  
And everyone stared. Even Usagi had to take a step back and admire her work. Trunks was wearing nothing except his navy blue Sponge Bob boxers, and Goten was wearing his own South Park boxers. It was really fabulous that they had perfect bodies to go along with the clothes.or lack thereof.. Lorraine summed it up fairly well, when she finally broke the silence.  
  
"Yummy.."  
  
  
  
  
  
**New York**  
  
"Now, Tsukino-san, I would like to bring it to your attention that your daughter Usagi is going to be working for me after she graduates. Oh, I'm sorry, this is Sanagi Natoku, owner of F6 Inc. No, of course not. Your Usagi does not need to go to college. She may score low on tests because she has no motivation. I intend to remove Piper from her room if she doesn't score 90% or higher on a test. Oh dear.yes she has been here. Yes, I realize that she should have been in the summer camp. No, this is not kidnapping. Your daughter has done some extraordinarily illegal things, and I'm simply offering her a deal. If she works for me, the arrest goes unnoticed, and she never gets the death penalty. Yes, I'm afraid that's a threat, I'm very sorry, but I insist upon having Usagi as my assistant. Anyways, she's already such good friends with my nice, Mary Hyland. Yes, I know she's the former Sailor Moon, and I know about the abnormalities concerning her blood and her soul, but frankly it's the mind I want. I understand that she will have to leave to fight of the various evils of our modern world. Ah, I'm sorry, I have a client. Good day, Tsukino-san."  
  
Sanagi hung up and rubbed his face. "I hate mothers," he said wearily.  
  
Mary looked up at him, shocked. "Do you hate Grandma?"  
  
"Very much, Mary. Very much."  
  
"WHY?"  
  
"Because they ground you, and don't support you when you want to jump off of a building onto a perfectly safe trampoline. Oh yes, and they are a pain to deal with. Mrs. Tsukino being one of the more extreme cases. She was still shouting when I hung up. God, I hate mothers."  
  
"Uncle.."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"No offence, but you're a total and complete moron."  
  
"Well," Sanagi said stiffly, "you're not very nice."  
  
Suddenly the phone rang, ruining the dramatic tension. The ruler of F6 sighed, rubbed his hands on his slacks, and leaned to pick up the phone precisely on the third ring.  
  
"Hello, you've reached Sanagi Natoku, how can I help you? Usagi? Usagi Tsukino? I'm sorry, she's just left. Who is this? "Switch"? What kind of name is that? Right, I'm sorry. Yes, you've just missed her. Yes she's gone back to the camp. Watch your language! I mean it! No. How awful to even suggest such a thing! She did? She does? You do? Alright, I suppose. What is it? How much? Of course it's none of my business, excuse me. Good day."  
  
The poor man hung up the phone, almost in a daze. "That was a boy named Switch, calling to tell Usagi that he was here with her money."  
  
Mary gasped. "The money? Oh, give me the phone! Give me the phone! Thank you!"  
  
She grabbed the phone from her Uncle, who shrank into the back of his chair, hoping to God that it wasn't his destiny to pick up all the PSYCHO girls. There was fist, of course, his wife, who was incredibly zany. Then there was their son, and then Usagi, who unlocked his niece's hidden wacko personality. God help me, he pleaded desperately.  
  
"Hello, yeah, I know, I have a message for uh.the psycho chick with blonde hair in meatballs, blue eyes, everyone calls her Bunny. Yeah, I think that's how you pronounce it. Anyways, tell her "Vegas, baby!" for me, okay? Right, I'm Mary. No, just Mary. Oh, and tell her that .." She whispered the rest into the phone, so Sanagi couldn't hear. "Right. Okay, thanks. Bye!"  
  
Click. Mary handed him the phone, and plopped down in a handy chair. She smiled at him, and twirled a lock of hair on her index finger, humming a little.  
  
"What was that all about?"  
  
"Oh, that money Switch was talking about? It was the money Usagi earned off of her hacker jobs. She's using it to quote, get the hell out of Japan, unquote. We decided that the password was "Vegas, baby!" because if she were sane, she's blow it all in Vegas."  
  
"But what did you whisper?" he asked, undeterred.  
  
Mary beamed at him, reminding him strongly of Usagi. "FBEO," she said smiling, as she stood and walked out the door.  
  
"Wait! What does "FBEO" mean?"  
  
She popped her head back into the room and grinned at him. "For Bunny's Ears Only."  
  
  
  
  
  
**Camp Happy Pines**  
  
"Let this train wreck burn more slowly, kids are victims in this story, drown the youth with useless warnings, teenage rules, they're fucked and boring! WE REALLY NEED TO SEE THIS THROUGH! WE NEVER WANTED TO BE ABUSED! WE'LL NEVER GIVE UP, IT'S NO USE! IF WE'RE FUCKED UP, YOU'RE TO BLAME! YEAAAAAAAH!"  
  
Usagi gave one final leap and bounced into the air. Laughing, she did a flip and landed on her butt. Still bursting out with a giggle here and there, she and Lorraine did the Fist Thing.*  
  
"Whoo, I love that song," Lorraine said giggling.  
  
"Babe, that song kicks ass."  
  
"There was a guy named Babe."  
  
Silence, then, "That musta sucked monkey's ass."  
  
Another pause. "Yeah."  
  
Then Akane popped back up from where she had been yelling at poor Ranma. "TSUKINO USAGI! What the hell have you done to Ranma? He won't even attack anymore!"  
  
Usagi smiled. "Roses are red. Monkeys are green. I hate you, so get away from me!"  
  
Akane stared at her, and then spun around. Sticking her nose into the air, she stomped away. Everyone watched her go while Ranma came walking over to where Lorraine and Usagi were using the Headmaster's mattress as a trampoline. They even had a stick dug into the ground in the front of their "trampoline" and had the his boxers tied to it, with the words "Usagi and Lorraine's Pirate Ship" painted on to it.  
  
Great fun, great fun.  
  
"Ran-kun, how could you ever stand her?"  
  
He shrugged, saying simply, "Musta been some kind of med."  
  
Usagi slapped Lorraine's forehead and sighed, while Lorraine said, "Oh God."  
  
"Tsukino Usagi?! Lorraine Dupont?! What on Earth are you doing?!"  
  
The bunny clutched at her friend. "Oh my fucking god," she hissed, "it's the psycho ass bitch attendant!"  
  
Now. The English language is said to be the most difficult to learn, with all our fucked up words and crap. This certain attendant, Macy Smith, liked to make this already hard language even harder by fucking up the punctuation. "This is impossible!" you say. "Nay", I say, because she does it. Somehow, this woman manages to tack a "?!" to the end of every single sentence.  
  
Off we go.  
  
"That's against the rules?! You shouldn't do that!?"  
  
Usagi didn't respond, seeing as she was currently trying not to laugh out loud at the woman. Ms. Smith frowned deeply, and took a step backwards.  
  
  
  
"No matter!? I have been instructed to tell you that Mary says "Vegas, baby?!" and "Trey is yummy!?" to you!? Now, I'm going to turn around and walk this way, and when I don't turn around, you'd better be off that boat!? Mattress, I mean!?"  
  
Everyone stared at her as she walked away, much like they had with Akane. Lorraine smacked Usagi's forehead and sighed, while Usagi said the words in all their minds.  
  
"Why me?" Then she squealed happily. "And Trey's yummy! AND MY MONEY'S AT HOME!"  
  
Lorraine cocked her head. "Who's Trey? And who's Mary?"  
  
Usagi beamed at her. "Mary is this girl I met in New York, and Trey's her boyfriend."  
  
The bunny glanced at her friend, mouthed something, and then nodded, while Lorraine said, "Kewl."  
  
Ranma looked up at her, grinning lopsidedly. "Are you two like one person or something?"  
  
Usagi nodded vigorously, and Lorraine said, "Yup! My name is Annie Carpenter, and I'm American!"  
  
The pigtailed boy patted.her on the shoulder, and nodded in a condescending sort of way. "There, there, Annie. There are help for people like you. Really and truly."  
  
"RANMAAAAAAA!!!!!"  
  
  
  
  
  
"Now explain to me what happened. I'm an expert in this sort of thing. I paid good money to get into a good college, and I had to work my ass off! I was the youngest in a family of six children, and we NEVER had money! So you can---oh. Right. Now what happened, Saotome-san?"  
  
"Well, Lorra and Bunny attacked me."  
  
"Did you?" the counselor asked, turning to the girls.  
  
"No," the chimed in unison. "Annie did! We saw her," Usagi added.  
  
"Who's Annie?"  
  
"Well, she's in here."  
  
The counselor blinked, looked closely around the room, and then looked back at the three teens who were looking at her innocently. "Ranma, is this true?"  
  
"Well.I guess."  
  
"Then you lied."  
  
"No I didn't!"  
  
"You said Annie attacked you."  
  
"She did."  
  
The counselor looked hard at him, confident that she had finally gotten dirt on the elusive cabin teners. "But you said that Lorraine and Usagi attacked you!"  
  
Ranma nodded sagely. "They did."  
  
"You were attacked twice?"  
  
"Nope, only once."  
  
"Then you have to be lying, unless they all three ganged up on you."  
  
"Naw, it was only Annie."  
  
This conversation went in a very big circle for a long time, before Mrs. Ellis stood up, slammed her hands down on her desk, and stared at all three of them.  
  
"I. Hate. You. All! Get. Out. Of. My. Office. Now."  
  
Usagi whooped, grabbed Lorraine's arm, snatched up Ranma's hand, and sped out of that cabin as fast as she damn well could. Because she hated counselors. They scared the crap out of her, and the bunny was a firm believer that counselors were really aliens come to take over the world. She wouldn't be surprised if one day she woke up, and the newspapers said "COUNSELORS TAKE OVER THE WORLD! TSUKINO USAGI WARNED US! HOW DID SHE KNOW?"  
  
That thought itself almost put an irregular beat in her run. Could she even imagine going back to Tokyo? It wasn't really even home anymore. It was like more like a place to sleep. That's it, and she was fairly certain that it never would be, unless she suffered some unnatural mental change. Which was possible, considering her luck.  
  
Lorraine screeched to a halt, and doubled over, panting. "I think we're far enough away already, Usagi. We've run like.five million miles!"  
  
"More like six," someone said.  
  
Lorraine screamed and spun around, coming face to face with a familiar Australian guy. Usagi's heart skipped a beat, and Lorraine got hearts in her eyes. The French girl was about to say something, when Usagi grabbed her arm.  
  
"Don't even tangle, girl. Don't even tangle. Sup Amos?"  
  
"Hey Usa-chan. Unfortunately, too much is up. We've been sensing a huge power growing, and we're grouping together a strike force. Tale's been looking at your file, and he liked it. I'm not supposed to, but you're a friend.so I'm just warning you. If you find a yellow letter under your pillow or something, you've been chosen, and you'll have to be the first strike against this power. G'day!"  
  
Usagi scowled at the empty space. "G'day" my ass. Why couldn't he have done this when NO ONE ELSE IS AROUND? GOD ALMIGHTY! HE LIVES TO MAKE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL!"  
  
"You're not the only one, Princess," hissed a voice from behind her.  
  
"OH MY GOD!"  
  
There was a woman. But it wasn't just any woman. No. It was the babysitter she had always been convinced was evil. And now the chick was here to kill her. God. What a day.  
  
"SHUT UP AND GO AWAY!"  
  
She raised a gun from sub-space and aimed. The BABYSITTER smirked. "Babe, you've been bad. I went all the fucking way to New York City just to kill you, and then came all the damned way back here. I'm gonna rip you apart, Moon Brat. Now put that down, you know damn well that you couldn't hurt me with one of those if you tried."  
  
"Are you willing to bet your life?" Usagi asked smirking right back.  
  
The blonde pulled the trigger, there was a boom, a huge flash of light, and then lots of smoke. She waited until the smoke cleared, and ran to eat the stones while fighting off a serious case of de ja vu. Freaky. Finally realizing why she might be having this odd feeling, she dove at the stones and shoved them into her mouth right in time, because a bullet was fired three inches away from her finger.  
  
Usagi jumped up and faced the man that had been pissing her off so much. He threw glitter around for a bit, and then swung down off the branch he was on.  
  
"Goddamn it, WHY WON'T YOU ALL JUST GO AWAY? I AM HAVING A BAD DAY AND I WANT YOU EVIL FUCKERS TO GO THE HELL AWAY!"  
  
Yusuke Tamaku glared at her. "Are you calling ME evil, fiend?"  
  
Usagi tapped her chin with her polished index finger. "Um, let's think. Hell yeah! I'm not killing anyone who's not trying to kill me! You're trying to kill me, which is an unprovoked attack, because I HAVEN'T DONE A DAMNED THING TO YOU!"  
  
"Yet," he said grimly.  
  
"Okay, as of now you are the official Pain In The Ass Of The Year. Congratulations," Usagi said dryly. "And you're right," she added, "I haven't hurt you. Yet."  
  
He stood there, staring at her, before falling into a fighting position. Usagi just crossed her arms and stared at him. God, she hated evil people. Especially when they decided to bug her, much like this one was doing. Actually, come to think about it, he wasn't evil. He was a good guy going after her because of the tiny fact that she was a demon.  
  
"Oi, did a demon kill someone in your family, Tamaku?"  
  
He stiffened. "None of your business."  
  
"I think it damn well is! You're trying to fucking kill me because of a stupid grudge, and you're trying to tell me that it's none of my damn business?"  
  
He glared at her. He really hated demons. Especially cute ones, because they were the type that tended to be the most mean. And following that logic, this demon would be phenomenally evil.  
  
"If you have to know, I was orphaned because of a demon. And I *will* get revenge. You, Tsukino Usagi, are in the way!" he shouted as he flung himself at her.  
  
The bunny leaped to the side, and watched him stumble into a tree. "Oh come on now. I had nothing to do with the death of your family!"  
  
"You don't understand! One evil being murdered my mother, my father, and my sister! YOU COULDN'T POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND!" he roared, firing a bullet at her.  
  
She shrieked, and danced away from the nasty metal killer. ARG! He was really pissing her off now! "Bull SHIT!" she yelled. "Beryl killed me, my mother, my fucking fiancé, my friends, my uncle, my aunt, and every fucking person even remotely in my area! She was human, at least until Metallia changed her! But did I kill every fucking human? God no! I killed her minions, yeah, and I sure as hell killed her, and I killed her boss! BUT I DID NOT KILL EVERY FUCKING PERSON ON THE PLANET! Boy, you're screwed up!"  
  
"Your family was killed?"  
  
"Uh, yeah."  
  
"Including you?"  
  
"Um.yeah."  
  
"Yet you're here."  
  
"Duh. But enough with the questions! You need to stop trying to kill every fucking demon and focus on hunting down the actual GODDAMNED KILLER!"  
  
He frowned. "But I already did that."  
  
Usagi threw up her hands in exasperation. "Then why the hell are you still out here, trying to kill innocent delinquents like me? Madness, I tell you. Madness!"  
  
Tamaku scowled at her. "I'm after you because you're the one that set her up to kill them."  
  
Usagi sighed heavily. "When were they murdered? '95? '90?"  
  
"1989, December 17th. My sister's birthday. She was only thirteen. But you'd know, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Um, no? I WAS TWO YEARS OLD!"  
  
He crossed him arms and glared at her. "And why should I believe this?"  
  
The annoyed bunny walked over and smacked him over the head, and ducked when he tried to decapitate her. Well, at least he was persistent. He swung the saber again, and without thinking, Usagi reached up and caught the blade. When she finally realized what Tamaku was looking so shocked about, she shrieked and jumped back.  
  
"My hand! My hand! My hand is perfectly.fine," she said slowly looking down at her unharmed skin. "Now how did that happen?" she wondered aloud.  
  
"Let me test the rest of your skin!" he yelled, catching her off guard.  
  
There was a slicing sound, and suddenly Usagi's hand was lying on the ground. They both stared at it in shock. Usagi looked down at her bloody stump with an expression of total shock.  
  
"OH MY FUCKING GOD! BUNNY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Lorraine screamed from behind them.  
  
Usagi spun, and cringed when she remembered that Lorraine and Ranma were back there, watching everything. Well. There went her fun secret. Fabulous. Life was wonderful. Well, they already knew she was Sailor Moon, the first edition, and that she was half demon. AND NOW THEY KNEW THE REST OF IT TOO! Oh, Like was just peachy king, really and truly. Deciding to ignore them, she stared back down at her stump, which was for some reason looking less stumpish.  
  
Tamaku, who was finally done being shocked, took this opportunity to gloat. "HaHA! Take that, Tsukino! You aren't all powerful!"  
  
Usagi glared at him. "I don't know who told you I was, but they were very obviously mistaken. I am not omnipotent, and never will be!"  
  
Ignoring him too, she concentrated on her stump. Now, she knew that if she could bring people back to life, she could re-grow her fucking hand if she damn well wanted to! Her blue eyes flashed, and she stared hard at the space where her hand was *supposed* to be. After a few seconds, her stump glowed, and suddenly her left hand was back. She held her wrist and moved her new hand experimentally, ooohing and aaahing over the general newness of it all. She turned back to Takamu (who was looking shocked again) and beamed at him happily.  
  
"Isn't this cool? I never knew I could do it!"  
  
Tamaku threw down his sword in disgust. "I give up. I can't kill you, Tsukino. You're too stupid, really. Like a kitten, or something. Let me just tell you this," he said loudly, drawing the attention of all three teens. "You have a huge hidden power, Tsukino, and if you don't let it out, you're going to be killed."  
  
Usagi blinked. "Wait, what are you talking about?"  
  
He glanced at her. "My master is a creature not overly concerned with the mortal or immortal doings. Every so often, it wakens to gather power to itself to keep it going. There are five superpowers in this modern world, Tsukino. There is Son Goku, God, Satan, you, and the other, nameless power. God, Goku, and Satan are not going to fight you, therefore my master is only focusing on the other two powers. You, and the other. The other's power is growing daily, while yours is just sitting there. It wants a fight between you, Tsukino, so it can live off of the power put off from that battle. But if the other power is simply going to come, kill you, and take your power, it's just going to kill you and take your power before the other power can. I suggest working on opening up that energy of yours."  
  
And then he disappeared. Usagi was at least glad to see that there was no glitter this time. Lorraine and Ranma inched over to her side. The French girl poked the bunny in the arm. Usagi looked over at her, looked down at the ground, over at Ranma, and then back at the ground.  
  
"Bunny, what the HELL was that all about?"  
  
Usagi stuck her hand behind her head. "Well, it's actually kind of a funny story, but it's kind of long, so you might not want to hang around and wait for me to tell you."  
  
Lorraine shoved down on Usagi's shoulders, making the bunny fall to the ground. "Bunny, I've always known that you had some crazy ass secrets, but FESS UP! YOU'RE A FUCKING TARGET FOR PEOPLE WITH ANGER PROBLEMS! I THINK YOU NEED SOME SERIOUS VENTING TIME HERE!"  
  
Usagi scowled. "Fine. You want a summary of my life, you got it. Back a few thousand years ago, I was a fucking Princess. I was engaged to this jackass Earth prince, and it was my birthday. This witch Beryl decided that she hated poor little me, so she KILLED ME! She killed me, my "friends", my fiancé, my mother, and every other person that was on the moon. I got reborn seventeen years ago to an abusive family. I don't know who they were, because I was sold to the Tsukinos when I was three. When I was fourteen, a black cat came to me and told me that I was Sailor Moon. I didn't want it, but my friend Naru was in trouble, so I accepted. Everything went downhill from there. I got all the other unlucky morons together, and we became the Sailor Senshi. I killed Beryl, and died. Got back my memories, and died again. Defeated those baddies, and had a nice life for about two fucking days. My daughter from the future fell out of the sky, more bad guys, I fought, turned into the Neo-Queen, God save me, and died. She left, came back, got even more bad guys, got my heart stolen (literally, folks), and died yet again! AND THEN WE GOT MORE BAD GUYS! They stole my Dream Mirror, broke it, I went zombie like, they fixed it, I went to fight the baddies, jumped off a cliff to save my daughter, almost died, and defeated the evil dudes. And it gets even better! Then Chaos came in the shape of Sailor Galaxia, we fought, everyone died.um.it's kinda fuzzy, I can't really remember most of it. But I sort of beat her, got blinded in a fire, brought my parents back to life by selling a quarter of my soul, the Senshi attacked me, picked a new Sailor Moon, and totally ignored me. I snapped, became 100% bitch, started making those programs, got in big time trouble, sold another quarter of my soul to get my sight back, came here, died, and am now pure, 100% demon. My life, the abbreviated version."  
  
Lorraine and Ranma stared at her for a full ten minutes, before the French girl burst out laughing. "That was a good one, Bunny! You almost had me convinced for a second there!" She leaned forward urgently. "You are joking, right?"  
  
Usagi shook her head, and Lorraine actually squeaked. Usagi squealed and pounded her buddy on the back. "Ooooooh, do that again! Do that again!"  
  
Lorraine stared at her like she was psycho. "Um.what the glue are you talking about?"  
  
"YOU SQUEALED!"  
  
"What?" Lorraine demanded of her two friends.  
  
""What the glue"?" Ranma asked incredulously.  
  
Lorraine stamped her foot. "I was going through a thesaurus, couldn't find fuck, so looked for screw, found screw, under it was attach, looked up that, found stick, looked up that, and found glue. So, glue indirectly means fuck! BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT! BUNNY'S GOING CRAZY!"  
  
"Gee really.... I wonder how I could have missed that one.?"  
  
"RANMA!" Usagi and Lorraine both screamed as one.  
  
Ranma looked up at the stars, and sighed. Love hurt. It really and truly did. Because he loved Lorraine and Usagi, and he knew damn well that he was going to hurt in a few minutes.  
  
Again.  
  
  
  
  
  
Meanwhile in New York...  
  
Venus, Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter looked around, and tried to look inconspicuous as all the Central Park people gawked openly at them. Mars shifted on her heels impatiently.  
  
"Mercury, where's the youma?" she demanded.  
  
Mercury looked up from her computer, looking a little sheepish. "There is no youma, Rei."  
  
Jupiter came to stand behind Mercury, and stared over her shoulder, trying to make sense of the nonsensical scribbles and numbers flying around the screen. The tall girl did, however, understand when the words "Subject not found" popped up on the screen. She looked up at Rei and nearly winced. The miko would not be pleased.  
  
"And Usa-chan?" she asked stiffly, clearly trying to refrain from doing something rash.  
  
Mercury and Jupiter exchanged a sad look, and then fired a nervous look at Rei, who sighed. The girl rubbed her temples, and then took a deep breath before speaking again.  
  
"I take it we've missed her," she said stiffly.  
  
Venus summed up their feeling appropriately. "Goddamn it!"  
  
  
  
  
  
And life went on, whether they liked it or not.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
THE END OF CHAPTER NINE! PLEASE CEASE DROOLING AND EXIT OUT THE FRONT WINDOW IN AN ORDERLY FASHION! THE AMBULANCES WILL BE WAITING TO TREAT ANY BRAIN DAMAGE CAUSED BY READING THIS! THANK YOU AGAIN FOR COMING!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*[Instruction Time: If you don't know what the fist thing is, you SUCK! And if there's a word for it, tell me or else I'll name it. Now, Step One: make a fist. (oooooooh) Step Two: have partner make a fist (aaaaaaaah!) Step Three: hit the bottom of your fist and the top of the other fist together. Step Four: hit the top of your fist and the bottom of partner's fist together. Step Five: hit the part of your fist that you punch people with together with partner. No, this does not mean punch them. End of Instruction Time, Tape One. elevator music begins to play] 


	10. For Lack of a Better Name---Snarfblat

Good Riddance  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The mall. Parents looked at it and scoffed, saying that was where the trash hung out. The "mall rats". The kids with nothing better to do than go to the mall and "waste their time and make trouble". Most adults walked into that forbidden place to get their stuff and leave right away. There was no talking, no meeting people, no socializing. All because the other people in there frightened those "mall rats". So most reasonable, sane adults stayed clear away from the dread building, which was a relief, because that created a relatively safe place for kids to break away.  
  
So in the teens eyes, the mall was "The Place". You know, the place where everyone who was anyone hung out. The place where exiting things happened. The place where you met new people, and expanded your world. The place where you broke out of the neat little box your parents had you stuffed in. But you had to be careful, because if you weren't, you'd have jumped right out of your parents' box and right into the mall's. Yes, even the mall had a box, where it kept all of it lovers. This box was very pretty, and it held so many people..  
  
But not Mary. Mary loved the place, certainly, but she was hardly what you would call a mall rat. It was always like there was something missing. She smiled at the racket, the lights, the smiling people, and breathed in the excitement that her friend must have always felt here. Mary, or "Shy" as Usagi had dubbed her, looked at this crowded, living place, and found absolutely nothing wrong with it. Except, of course, for the fact that Usagi wasn't here, but that could hardly be helped.  
  
Usagi. Ah, but wasn't she a mystery? The girl had barged rudely into her life, turned it topsy-turvy into chaos, and then left without a moment's notice, leaving Mary in the middle of the roller coaster called life. And she had no idea what to do with it.  
  
She had her puke bag, (her room, where she could vent and scream at her door, if she wanted to), she had her seatbelt (the feeling of sticking around just to see what the hell was going to happen), she had the car (her life), and she had the track (the general direction her life was going).  
  
All she had ever really known was a boring, flat track. Usagi had popped up, and that boring track suddenly twisted and became a loop-de-loop. And for a while, while Usagi had been there, she could keep the chaos from actually impacting her. Usagi had set her car on the damned Splash Mountain.and Mary had no idea how to deal with it. I mean, come on. You go from blah, to ZOOM, BASH, SCREAM, LAUGH, ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM! What the hell are you supposed to do with that? Mary asked herself.  
  
Well, the more reasonable part of her mind commented, you could always hang on and enjoy the ride. As she stepped off the escalator, she smirked, adjusted her sunglasses, and prepared for another day of that refreshing chaos that she liked to call life.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Dead, total silence. No one moved a muscle, because they were absolutely terrified about the consequences. James walked back and forth in front of the line of eight teens, slapping his whip idly against his palm. This routine was repeated several times, before he finally stopped and turned to face them.  
  
"Do you know what the date is?" he snarled at Lorraine.  
  
She flinched away from his twisted face. I mean.gross. This guy seriously needed to think about some breath mints. "No.uh, sir."  
  
"It," he said as he began pacing once more, "is July 3rd. As I'm sure you know, you go home the weekend before school starts. The day before that is the tournament. Likewise, I'm sure you know that we have been seriously lacking in our training. I know for a fact that cabin nine is going through their playground five times a day, running three miles, doing 100 crunches, 100 push-ups, 50 pull-ups, and two lessons each in hand-to-hand combat. You know nothing about ANY of these things. This, of course, means that you will be running through the Playground ten times a day. You will be running six miles. You will be doing 200 crunches, 200 push-ups, and 100 pull-ups. You will be learning hand-to-hand like never seen. You will be the fastest. You will be the strongest. You will be the best of every single fucking cabin if it's the last goddamned thing I do. Do you understand me?"  
  
Usagi sighed. "All I understand is that I'm going to hurt like hell tomorrow morning."  
  
"Welcome to my world," Ranma muttered cynically.  
  
"Hey! Lorra and I don't hit *that* hard! After all we're girls, so we can't hit hard. Isn't that what you said last night?" she shot back scathingly.  
  
"Yeah, no kidding," Lorraine slurred, "what a way to win a girl's *hic* heart! *hic*"  
  
"Wonder what *you* doing last night, Lorraine?" Trunks said sarcastically.  
  
"Shut the *hic* glue up, Tru-kun. *hic*"  
  
James sighed, knowing that any lecture would be lost on them. These types of brats only understood insulting remarks, angry looks, and violence. Which was why he was convinced that he dealt so well with them.  
  
"OKAY! Here's how this is gonna go. This will be like an obstacle course. For every time you run though the Playground, you do 20 push-ups, 20 crunches, and 10 pull-ups. You will repeat this ten times. After you are done, you will run for six miles. Three out, three back. Whoever gets done first will get a candy bar."  
  
Bleac leaned forward. "What kind?" she asked eagerly.  
  
"Snickers."  
  
"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" the three more hyperactive girls screamed.  
  
Lexie sprinted towards the Playground behind them, but she wasn't screeching, and Shiro wasn't there, so she obviously didn't do anything. Trunks, Goten, and Ranma were already swinging through the vine maze. Usagi growled deep in her throat and sped up to inhuman speeds.  
  
She'd be damned if she let those show-offs have her fucking Snickers bar. She'd die first! With this firmly in mind, she cranked up the speed and threw herself into the vine maze.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Gohan wandered aimlessly around the Tsukino household, wondering what, exactly, he was doing there. He had been aware of the Sailor's energy signatures for quite some time, as his father and brother had been. Well, maybe not his brother.. Who ever knew anything about his brother?  
  
Once Goten had come in second in the World Championships, Junior Division, he had begun to separate from his family. It was like the seven year old boy absorbed, twisted, and then understood the twisted information that his mind brought in. Goten had begun to rely more and more on his friends, and to refuse the companionship of his family. It had puzzled his parents, and Gohan knew it still did.  
  
He honestly didn't think that his parents understood Goten. He didn't think that they ever did. Gohan knew damn well that Goten had this insane idea that their parents favored Gohan over him, which was absolutely crazy, of course. But Goku and Chi-Chi always turned a blind eye to their son's growing bitterness, and so that slow poison seeped through his younger brother's mind, planting seeds that would probably never be weeded out. Goten thought that their parents should have been able to see the problem. After all, parents were gods, right? Wrong. And Goten obviously learned this a little bit too early, because when he realized that his idols weren't going to talk to him about this "problem", he took it as a sign. A sign saying "We Don't Like You, Go Away You Damn Kid". So the gap widened, and Goku and Chi-Chi were left wondering what happened, while Gohan watched quietly from the sidelines.  
  
But he was going to fix that mistake, and he had an idea of how to get to the bottom of the mystery of this Tsukino Usagi, and his own baby brother. He would bravely venture forth into the uncharted depths of the Tsukino girl's bedroom, and find the source of power that had been nagging at him for the past few days that he had been there.  
  
It was now Wednesday. He had discovered it on Sunday. Of that he was sure, at least. All he knew about it was that it was small, it was intelligent, and he very desperately wanted to talk to it. Assuming that it could, anyways. And so, taking a deep breath, he turned the doorknob and entered her room.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Usagi supposed she was dead. After all, hadn't she promised herself that she would die before she let Trunks or Goten get that Snickers bar? Well, her mouth was very obviously missing the chocolate flavoring, so therefore she must be dead. But could you be dead if you didn't have a soul? Or did you just kind of.sit there? She sighed, rubbed her eyes, and returned to reality.  
  
She, Bleac, and Lorraine lay in a circle with their heads at the center. They had their hands behind their heads, and were all staring up at the stars. The huge blanket of sequins thrown across the world, existing to reflect the light of people's souls. Was that why the stars always seemed dim around cities? Because the souls there were so washed out and worn thin, that the few bright, brilliant souls had to shine for the rest, too?  
  
"You know how I think you should live life?" Bleac asked suddenly.  
  
Lorraine tipped her head back, and grinned at her Irish friend. "Hell yeah, you should live it safely away from sadists that like to smile, and if you can't, stick your ass in a mug of cheap beer and never come out."  
  
Bleac shook her head, giggling at Lorraine. "Nope. I think that you should live life to the fullest. I mean, relatively within the rules, of course. And I'm not talking about, like, *laws* and crap like that, I'm talking about gravity and.stuff. You know?"  
  
Usagi nodded, even though she knew they wouldn't be able to see her. "No shit, Bleac. But for me.screw the rules, even of gravity. Haven't y'all seen how Tru-kun and Go-kun can fly?"  
  
"You can too," Lorraine pointed out wisely.  
  
"Well, yeah. But that's breaking the laws of gravity. And you know those blasts that switch directions? That's breaking the law that says that one force can't.um, stop, or turn or anything unless moved or stopped by something else. Well, I'm as sure as hell that air isn't gonna stop a blast coming at 100 mph to kill you. So.that must mean that there are exceptions to the other rules, too. So why pay attention to rules that don't apply? If you're falling, fly! If you're going as fast as light, go faster! I mean, who gives a damn? Why wait around for your life to gather dust?"  
  
"Well," Bleac said finally, "that was one hell of a speech, Bunny, but I'm afraid our profound thinking must be saved for some other time, because our sadistic friend has found us."  
  
"AH-HA! I FOUND YOU BITCHES AT LAST! GOD SAVE YOU!"  
  
"Don't you mean, "God Save the Queen?"" Lorraine asked curiously.  
  
"I'M GONNA RIP YOU APART!"  
  
"Well that sounds unpleasant, ladies. Shall we?" Usagi asked with a smirk.  
  
"We shall!" the other two said enthusiastically.  
  
"With all possible speed, girl." Lorraine added hastily.  
  
"Of course," Usagi said, sitting up.  
  
She smiled up at James, unfocused her eyes, and suddenly they were gone. She watched in detached amusement while James went about looking like a fish, and finally tried to search for them. If his groping hands became to close, Usagi would quietly move aside. Lorraine and Bleac were bouncing around like happy fish on a Tuesday. Seeing as Tuesday was the NO FISHING DAY, this is a very happy, fishy, happy fish dance.  
  
One goes about this dance by waving the arms wildly, making altogether odd faces, and sucking in your cheeks in order to maintain this fishlike state. There is, of course, very fancy footwork involved, but unless you have been initiated into The Happy Fish Clan, you may not know the secret footsteps of the happy fish. But, until you have become a member, leaping erratically in all directions and acting as if one has put a fire under you should suffice. Bleac was actually the founder of this clan, and so far Lorraine was the only one that showed enough devotion to the dance to actually learn it.  
  
So. They were doing the Happy Fish Dance, and Usagi was avoiding James. This little invisible game had gone on for quite some time, when Usagi suddenly froze. Bleac and Lorraine ceased their dance, so they might see what Usagi had frozen for. They couldn't see anything dangerous.  
  
"Usagi," Lorraine hissed, "What's the deal?"  
  
"That," Usagi whispered, "is his ass."  
  
Bleac and Lorraine looked sick. "Yeah, it is, but I have no goddamned idea why you're even looking at it!" Bleac whispered heatedly.  
  
Usagi looked at her foot. "This," she said, gesturing at her foot, "is my foot."  
  
Lorraine began to grin, while Bleac just stared on, wondering what the hell had gotten into her beloved friend's head. It was probably that damned mountain air.  
  
"This," Usagi continued, "is the foot I'm going to connect with his ass."  
  
"Ah!" Bleac whispered loudly.  
  
"Who's there?" James shouted, turning his flashlight over the area.  
  
Usagi smiled victoriously, as she edged closer and closer to her target. She really would have spent more time inspecting the target on another man, but this was James, it was not another man, and James did not have a pretty ass. So she swung her foot back, and then flew it forward to connect with James' ass with a satisfyingly solid thwack.  
  
Unfortunately, and sadly for the heroine of our story, there was no satisfyingly solid thwack. There was only the whoosh of air as James spun, the startled squawk from Usagi as her ankle was grabbed, and the thud as James flipped her onto her back, making her lose concentration on the invisibility spell.  
  
She stared up at him in shock, wondering if she would ever be able to breathe normally again. At this rate, by the time they got her out of summer camp, she'd be breathing through a plastic tube shoved down her nose and all the fucking way into her lungs. She was pretty sure that was how it worked, anyways.  
  
Shingo had gotten an appendectomy once, and after they had taken his appendix out he had a tube down his nose, going down into his belly so that they could suck all of the puke and shit out of it. It had been as nasty as hell, and she had no strong wish to end up like that. No, she would pass on the hospital food, thank you very much. Which, of course, was why she desperately hoped that she hadn't damaged herself for life with all of this rough handling. By the way.  
  
"H-How..?"  
  
James' face twisted into a scowl, and he leaned down to grab a fistful of her shirt. He lifted her up of the ground, so that she was actually dangling a few inches above the earth.  
  
"Listen, bitchie. I didn't become the ruler of cabin ten for no reason. I heard your breathing. Come on, now. You're absolutely pathetic!" he snarled.  
  
Usagi gazed up at him with her huge blue eyes, and then kicked him viciously in the place where the sun doesn't shine. His face puckered, and he fell forwards, exhaling with a huge whoosh of air. She danced aside, and then kicked him.  
  
"DAMN SADIST!"  
  
She went to kick him again, and suddenly she felt another hand on her ankle. James yanked hard, and she was dragged to the ground. Suddenly remembering that she had fists, she swung one of them and was rewarded by an answering blow on the face.  
  
Usagi shrieked in horror that someone might mar the perfection of her lovely face, and kicked him again. While he was recovering from her blow, she rolled away from him and then jumped to her feet.  
  
Oh, but she was mad now. She was just going to use a little magical shock before, but oh, no. He didn't deserve that. She was going to beat him with her own fists. And besides, she reasoned as the two contenders circled each other, where was the fun in simply destroying your enemy? No, it was much more fun to play cat and mouse. MUCH more fun. Usagi was actually pretty well acquainted to the game, but mostly from the perspective of the mouse. Once again, she was hoping to God that she could be the cat for once.  
  
Just for once.  
  
Please.  
  
The blonde fell back into a fighting position, and glared at him. James just looked confused. Wait.confused? If he was such a damn good fighter, why the hell was he looking confused?  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" he finally asked.  
  
Okay, she decided, he's gone WHACKO! "Well, duh. I'm in a fighting position!"  
  
His face cleared. "Oh! You're doing the *classical* style of fighting!"  
  
"As opposed to.?"  
  
"Street fighting."  
  
Usagi dropped her fists and stared at him. What a bloody moron! The "Classical" style could beat the crap out of the street style any day! Any day! She was opening her mouth to say something scathingly witty, when Lorraine's voice cut through their dialogue.  
  
"Okay, that is so fucking---"  
  
"If you say it, I will kill you," Usagi heard Bleac say calmly.  
  
"COOL!"  
  
Lorraine had obviously never heard of the various methods of torture that the Irish were known for. Actually, they weren't known for them, because they kept their methods very, very secret, so no one could possibly prepare for the torture they had in store for the poor blokes that came across the way. Bleac Jones appeared to be well-schooled in the torturing ways, judging by the Frenchie's terrified shrieks.  
  
Speaking of the Frenchie.. She only said *that* when something magical or just really, really cool was going on. She would not, of course, be referring to Usagi's fight, so that would mean that there was something else that Usagi probably did not want to see was behind her somewhere.  
  
"Tsukino Usagi!"  
  
Damn. Somewhat reluctantly, she turned to face someone that she was fairly certain she ABSOLUTELY DID NOT WANT TO SEE! With all of her supernatural experiences, the moon bunny was still not prepared for the sight that awaited her. Her eyes widened. Her jaw dropped, and her stomach did funny little acrobatic feats.  
  
"Oh my God." She said with great finality.  
  
For in front of her, hanging from a tree, was a man. It wasn't any man, of course. It was most certainly a demon, Usagi thought abstractedly as she walked closer to inspect the damage. He had dark skin, black hair, and had the tell-tale tattoo on his chest. There was only one way to be totally sure, though. She made a face, and then pulled his eyelids back. Sure enough, the eyes were a dull red, the moonlight glistening in sort of a grotesque parody of life. The girl shuddered, and backed away from the body.  
  
"Pretty, isn't it?" Shiro Tsuzumi asked as she stepped out from around the tree.  
  
Usage made a face, trying desperately to squish the revulsion down. "Well, it's a damn messy job. Whoever did this was a total beginner. I mean, arrow through the heart; great aim. But look at the job the dipshit did at coring the guy! I mean," Usagi exclaimed, warming to her topic as she waved furiously at the body, "you can *totally* tell where the coring began! A professional wouldn't have even left a mark!"  
  
"Usagi," Bleac asked slowly, "I know you have kind of a.weird history, but what the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Coring," Tsuzumi began, "is when someone rips the soul away from your body. You're worse than dead, because after that happens.well, it's like squeezing a mental apple corer down your body. It very, very painfully takes away you soul, and whatever part of your mind happens to be in the way. Like the moon brat said, it's a crude job. This murderer placed the corer right here," she said jabbing at a point on his forehead, "and then dragged from there. But he obviously was very clumsy with the thing.  
  
"Oh, Usagi dear," she said turning to face the girl, her voice turning sarcastic, "I thought this might interest you, seeing as he's a demon, and he has a signed permission slip in his pocket to train someone named Tsukino Usagi. Can't possibly imagine who that could be.."  
  
"Give me that!" Usagi snapped, grabbing the slip of paper from the black haired girl's teasing fingers. She unfolded the paper, and began to read. As her eyes flicked across the page, they widened in surprise.  
  
"Well?" Lorraine asked worriedly.  
  
Usagi cleared her throat, and tried to act cool about it. "Well, it seems that my, um, trainer killed this guy who was supposed to train me. Why, I haven't the faintest clue, but---"  
  
"Well I see you found out. Bravo, bunny. Top-notch work, "Chaos". I must applaud you."  
  
Usagi spun around and threw the paper at the man and growled when, acting like normal paper, it went three inches and then fluttered to the ground. "I'M TIRED OF EVERYONE SNEAKING UP ON ME AND SCARING THE CRAP OUT OF ME! WHY CAN'T I EVEN HAVE ONE FUCKING NIGHT ALONE?"  
  
Her nameless "trainer" frowned. "I was supposed to train you anyways, so you shouldn't spend any nights alone."  
  
Lorraine suddenly giggled, and everyone turned to stare at her. This, unfortunately, made that giggle turn into a full-blown laugh that she instantly tried to smother, effectively creating an amusing snorting noise.  
  
Bleac smacked the French girl on the arm. "Lorraine! You are NOT supposed to be laughing right now! We have the dead guy hanging from the tree! We have the possible bad guy floating three feet above the ground! We have the unlikely heroine screaming at the possible bad guy! We have the innocent victims standing off to the side! We have a horror movie right here at this nice camp! YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LAUGHING!"  
  
Lorraine ducked her head. "I'm sorry, it's just that he sounded really dirty when he said that.." She said giggling.  
  
Usagi threw her arms into the air, and then bent to pick up the permission slip from the grass. Marching over to her demon-trainer, she shoved it in his face.  
  
"SEE? YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO TRAIN ME ANYWAYS, YOU PIECE OF CRAP!"  
  
He sighed. "Details, details. Simply details. And I would really appreciate it if you would talk down on my murdering skills when I'm out of hearing range."  
  
Tsuzumi laughed harshly. "You did that? I'm ashamed to even look at you."  
  
He scowled at her. "I was in a hurry, "Chaos". Anyways, Usagi dear---"  
  
"Why do you evil peeps insist on calling me that?"  
  
"---I actually have a reason for coming here."  
  
He reached into his pocket and withdrew a yellow envelope. "I came to give you this. Personally. I wanted to see the look on your face. Amos wanted to come too, but Nicole didn't want him to go."  
  
His last few words went unheeded, because everyone was staring at Usagi. The look of terror on her face was picture-worthy. With this thought, Bleac whipped out her camera, snapped a picture, and then lifted it up into the air hooting.  
  
"Pop's never gonna believe this!"  
  
"Get that away from me," Usagi said hoarsely as the trainer-guy advanced on her. She backed up a step. "I mean it!"  
  
He smirked, and lifted a hand. Usagi froze, and then began to wriggle desperately to get back in control of her body. He crooked a finger, and she began walking mechanically towards him. Her eyes looked like saucers as she got closer and closer to the dreaded envelope.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" she yelled.  
  
He smirked. "If you hadn't skipped our classes, you'd know what I'm doing and how to fight it too. But whoops! You only came to one fucking class. Sorry, Bunny. You lose," he said maliciously as he deposited the yellow paper into her outstretched hand.  
  
Usagi let out a howl of despair, and tired to drop it. The fucking envelope didn't even fall off of her hand. She shook it, and with the same result. Growing panicky, she attempted to rip it off. No such luck.  
  
After watching the girl struggle with it for a while, the man spoke up. "It's indestructible. The only way to get it off your hand is to open it, and accept. Satan really doesn't take "Hell no!" as an answer."  
  
The blonde demon (muwahahaha) looked down at her envelope-decorated hand, looked back up at her "Trainer", and then sat down to cry. This was really not turning out to be the greatest day in the whole world. Really and truly, she should have stayed in bed. If she had stayed in bed, Trunks wouldn't have made her kiss him for a bit of chocolate, James wouldn't have chased them for a simple practical joke, and she wouldn't have to be on the fucking strike team.  
  
"But I don't *want* to be in a strike team! As much as it may seem like it at times, I really honestly don't want to die! I have great plans! I need to live 'til I'm thirty, at least!"  
  
He shrugged. "No can do, chica. Unfortunately, demons on a strike team have a very short life expectancy unless they're unusually trained. I have no high hopes for you, dear."  
  
Usagi glared up at him through teary eyes. "Wonderful. Just what I wanted to hear!" she said sarcastically.  
  
He smirked. "I love to make your days bright. But, I---"  
  
"What's your name?" Lorraine blurted.  
  
Bleac smacked her upside the head again, and Usagi glared at her. Betrayal. Lorraine was in cahoots with the enemy! The French moron must die! Usagi slapped herself, and looked up at the trainer-dude for the answer to this long-awaited riddle.  
  
"---must be going now. Adios. And by the way," he said casually when he was half-way disappeared (while ignoring Bleac's flashing camera), "the name's Tony."  
  
Then he was gone. Lorraine sighed, and clasped her hands under her chin. "Tony.."  
  
"THE FRENCH IDIOT MUST DIE!" Bleac and Usagi both screamed.  
  
James finally woke up, and was baffled to find Bleac pulling viciously on Lorraine's hair, Lorraine sinking her teeth into Usagi's arm, Usagi whaling on Lorraine as hard as she could, and Lorraine trying her damndest (that's not a word, but it means as hard as she damn well could) to dismember Bleac. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and decided to go back to sleep.  
  
The birds and stars were really much better company than three psychotic teenagers. Cute teenagers, but still children that would sooner rip your head of than say thank you.  
  
"Come to papa, little birdies," he mumbled before he collapsed back into oblivion.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
*  
  
"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," Gohan whispered softly. Damn cat wouldn't even come near him.  
  
If it was at all possible, the cat looked at him in what could be considered contempt. If the cat were human, Gohan would swear that it was thinking, "Damn brat," or something along those lines. Was it even possible for a cat to look contemptuous? He didn't think it was, but just to be on the safe side.he'd act like this was a highly intelligent cat. He didn't want to be offending something that could come back later as a psychotic evil person bent on his destruction. That sort of scenario was rapidly becoming old.  
  
"Okay, cat. I need to know everything that you know about Tsukino Usagi."  
  
The cat glared at him. Oh, my Kami-sama, he thought worriedly. The cat is getting mad. In a hasty attempt to regain peace between the two parties, he tried to rephrase his last demand.  
  
"I would be much obliged if you would help me find out more about Tsukino Usagi, because I believe that it would help me unlock my brother, who is also at this camp."  
  
The cat hung its head. "Did you know that she never said one word to me since the fire?" it asked hoarsely.  
  
His jaw dropped open. Whatever he had been expecting from this cat, it was most certainly *not* speech. What was this world coming to? Talking cats! So, still deep in shock, he said nothing, and the cat went on. It lifted its head, and he was shocked to see tears ( ? ) glistening in its eyes.  
  
"Not a single word. The fire came.killed everyone.and then she went blind. I don't even know what happened to her. It was as if she felt the world hated her for being blind, or some such nonsense. When I asked her about it, she simply growled and stalked away from me! And now you're asking *me* to help you unlock her secrets?" The cat was practically shouting by then.  
  
Gohan lifted his hands. "Point accepted. But you must know of her diary.?"  
  
The cat gave him that look again. "Even if I did know where it was, I wouldn't tell you."  
  
"Why?"  
  
The cat sat down, and glared at him some more. "Because I'm hoping that this is just a phase that she'll grow out of. If it is, and she found out that I let someone read her diary, I would be as good as dead."  
  
He leaned forwards. "But what if that thought is exactly what's driving her? What if she's pissed that everyone thinks her feelings are "Just A Phase", and so she's flipping?"  
  
The bald-spotted kitty's scowl deepened. "Don't even try to trick me, Saya- jinn. I know your kind all too well, and I'll be damned if I tell you anything!"  
  
Now Gohan was scowling. "Listen, cat. I don't know how you found out I was a Saya-jinn, and I don't know how you could know them "all too well", but my little brother is a juvenile delinquent, and I want to know why! Now, are you going to help me?"  
  
The cat stared at him. He felt his normally quiet temper bubbling, and trying to break out in some sort of horrible, evil, violent act of destruction. Gohan very calmly grabbed the cat by the scruff of its neck and slammed it against the wall.  
  
"Are you going to help me?" he repeated in quiet, deadly tones.  
  
The cat, whose eyes were huge, nodded slowly. It was obviously deeply ashamed of itself. Gohan set it down gently on the bed, and smiled charmingly at it. "Hullo, black cat. I'm Son Gohan. Who're you?"  
  
"Luna," she said, looking like it was honestly the end of the world.  
  
A manic-depressive, polite Saya-jinn, Luna thought in bewildered terror. Just what we need.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Mary stared at the ringing phone, unable to fully comprehend what the irritating shriek of the offending object by her bed meant. The word phone ambled through her mind comfortably, and upon discovering that it had no idea what it was, disappeared. So she kept on staring though bleary, sleep fogged eyes.  
  
The racket finally quit. The girl smiled blissfully, and collapsed back onto her pillow, willing herself to drift peacefully back into the beautiful land they call Dreamland. She honestly didn't believe there was such a place, but here, in the dark of the night that non-existent place looked like a wonderful prospect, away from all the damn NOISES!  
  
"WILL YOU SHUT UP!?" she screamed at the phone when it began ringing again.  
  
Suddenly her TV clicked on, and she was face to face with a laughing, familiar, blue-eyed face. Usagi was laughing so hard that she actually had to double over, clutching at her ribs because they hurt so much. Mary crossed her arms and scowled. As much as she valued Usagi as a friend, sometimes the bitch just grated on her nerves.  
  
"You do realize that I was asleep, don't you?" Mary asked pleasantly.  
  
Usagi nodded, and wiped tears of mirth from her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, and I'm truly sorry from the depths of my heart, but I didn't actually call you just to be annoying, believe it or not."  
  
Mary raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"  
  
Usagi smiled. The girl was learning. Shy had packed a world of meaning into that simple word. The message was clear: You better have a damn good reason for waking me up like this, or else. God, but it was fun to be alive. This thought actually made her pigtails droop. The blonde pulled a melancholy look onto her face, and shocked Shy into blurting out what she had been wondering for the past few seconds.  
  
"What the hell is going on, Bunny?"  
  
Usagi sighed desolately, and then busted up laughing. Mary gave her a quizzical look, and then tilted her head to one side to skewer her friend with the worst glare that she had ever seen. Yes, including Hiiro. Usagi waved her hands frantically, and finally managed to regain control.  
  
"Uh, sorry, Trunks was, um.nevermind," she mumbled. "But anyways," she said brightly, "I came to tell you that I'm a demon, I've been assigned to a strike team, I have some giant, unbeatable monster after me to get my power because I haven't unleashed it, and I have a life expectancy of three weeks and a day."  
  
Mary blinked. "Three weeks and a day?" she echoed.  
  
Usagi nodded decisively, still trying desperately to smother a laugh. "Three weeks for training, and one day to strike team my ass into serious hot water and get killed. LORRAINE! TRUNKS!"  
  
There was a loud squeal and a laugh from somewhere behind Usagi's little screen. Mary watched in wide eyed amazement as a peach colored blur zipped past the screen, and then a stark naked black girl came sauntering into the shocked New-Yorker's vision. The black girl was tall, and very slender. She had short black hair (spiked), and had huge silver hoops in her ears. The black girl also had a skeleton hugging her upper ear, but Mary tried to ignore that. Her. Everything.  
  
"Salut!" the girl cried in what was very obviously a French accent. "Are you Mary? LORD ALMIGHTY, we have heard some hilarious things about you and Bunny here! I'm Lorraine, buddy of Tsukino "Bunny" Usagi! So that makes you Mary "Shy" Hyland, right? OF COURSE I'M RIGHT!"  
  
Mary cleared her throat. "Um, what exactly are you *doing* over there, Bunny"  
  
Usagi laughed and waved her hand airily. "I'm not doing anything! I'm the clean one of the group!"  
  
A passing (hot, Mary's dazed mind registered) boy snorted and tugged on one of her pigtails. "You weren't so clean the one night, Usa."  
  
"Shut UP Ranma!" Usagi shouted, hurtling herself at the boy, who caught her and promptly began tickling her.  
  
Lorraine sat down and smiled toothily at Mary. "To answer your question, Tru-kun and I were playing a little game of tag! That's all."  
  
A teen with lavender hair stormed onto the screen. "That was not called playing tag, Lorra!"  
  
"Well," she said staunchly, "you stole my clothes, ya nasty pervert! So naturally I had to steal yours to get even!"  
  
The boy, whom she presumed to be "Tru-kun", threw up his hands and stalked the other way. Suddenly a knife imbedded itself into the wall right above Usagi's head. The blonde looked up, and then over at someone beyond Mary's sight.  
  
"Tsk, tsk, tsk! Really, Zumi-chan, I would have thought that you'd know that you can't hurt me, right Chaos? Package deal, right Chaos? I die, you die, right Chaos?"  
  
Apparently deciding that it couldn't kill Usagi, the knife-thrower switched its attention to someone else. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU DUPONT!"  
  
The black girl screamed and leaped away from yet another girl flinging herself at the poor French girl. Sometime in the scuffle (which was more like a barroom brawl), the connection got cut, and Mary was left staring at a blank screen. Almost thankfully, she lay back down, and tried once more to go to sleep.  
  
It was then she remembered a minor fact that had been forgotten in the entertaining life of Cabin 10.  
  
Usagi was going to die.  
  
She flicked lights on as she ran down the hall, wild with fear. "UNCLE SANAGI! UNCLE SANAGI!"  
  
*  
  
*  
  
My sister, Rachel thought in detached wonder, is a total witch. She watched while her little sister Mia flipped her pale pigtails over her shoulder, her face cold, and her lips drawn together in what must have been a practiced frown, it was so perfect. Everything about Mia was perfect, really. When they had been back in America, Rachel had at one point been one of the most popular girls in school. But then Mia had come along, filled with tantalizingly dark secrets.  
  
The popular rumor was that Rachel's twin had spent several years touring with Blink 182 as a dancer. Another rumor was that she was the heir to a wealthy noble over in Europe. Never mind Rachel herself, who was a whole, whopping three minutes older than her twin. The actual truth was that Mia had been sent to a boarding school in Brazil, where she could get the best psychiatric help. The pale-faced girl had a major league anger problem. Rachel had frequently turned up with mysterious cuts and bruises. When questioned, the reply was always that she had fallen down. She had thought to protect her baby sister, but thinking about it now, it would have been better to cut off that throbbing anger that was always lurking below that pretty face, ever ready to burst out, and god save those caught in her path.  
  
For some reason, it had been worse since they had moved to Tokyo. Right after that awful fire somewhere down in another neighborhood, Mia had come home one day with an almost familiar group of four girls. After inquiry, Rachel had discovered that the five together made up the clique of the most popular girls in Tokyo High Nation. Every guy wanted them, and every girl wanted to be them. Their little group was select, only the elite could get in, which is why is was odd that Mia had become friends with them so quickly. It just didn't make any sense at all.  
  
She had also found out another thing. Every single one of the four had a connection to Tsukino Usagi, who was now widely known as the respected computer terrorist. What was even more amazing about the girl, was that she was supposed to be blind, but one day somehow regained her sight. The talk was that she had created some kind of technology that you could implant or something, that would make you see.  
  
But Rachel wasn't so sure. She was probably just being paranoid, she had told herself that day. But she went to the scene of the fire, anyways. She dug around in the mess for a while, and then finally found a match. Now, that in and of itself wouldn't have been altogether amazing. But it was. It was amazing, because it wasn't burnt. The tip, of course, was black, but the rest of it, the wood part, was untouched. And even though she dusted carefully, there were no fingerprints. As the mystery grew, she dug herself deeper into the mess. That was when she heard the voices.  
  
One of the voices was accented. It wasn't English or Australian; that much she knew. She had never been particularly adept at foreign languages. Hell, she wasn't even that great at her own language. But she hunkered and listened.  
  
Voice #1 sighed. "I understand completely why you did this, but don't you think burning her house down was a little excessive?" No accent.  
  
The other voice laughed. "Not at all! I burned my boyfriend's house down when he tried to dump me! Now if he had only kept his dick in his pants, he wouldn't be where he is now.."  
  
"And you wonder why you were sent to juvie? What did you use?"  
  
"Well, duh. A match."  
  
"What kind?"  
  
"Um.one of---damn."  
  
"Shit! I thought you were smarter than this, girl!" the fist voice hissed angrily.  
  
There was a hiss of indrawn breath. "Don't even get smart with me, jackass. I have had one hell of a day, making ID's and all, burning people's houses down---"  
  
"That was a few weeks ago."  
  
"And I'm still feeling it! It's not like anyone's going to investigate, anyways! God, I love being bad."  
  
"I still don't see why you like to aggravate him like this," the first voice whispered haggardly.  
  
"For love of fun," the second quipped lightly.  
  
Then there was a swish of air, and Rachel peeked over the half burnt couch. There was no one there. She half-fell backwards and stared at her gloved hands. Well, it was obvious that this fire was set. Set by someone who was foreign, and who had strange technology. She wasn't supposed to set it, and had simply done it "for love of fun". But there had to be some other motive. The way they talked, it would seem like something was going to happen, and the Tsukino girl was going to play a big part in it. But in order for her to play that part, she had to first be moved into the correct position. Like a huge game of chess, she thought with a sickening lurch.  
  
Suddenly Mia's harsh voice jarred her out of her reverie, and startled, she looked up into the sneering face of her beloved sister.  
  
"I said, "take out the trash", brainless one," Mia said coldly.  
  
Rachel stared at her, wondering what her sister was getting herself into. "No," she said absently as her mind sifted through several possibilities, several of which were too insane to ignore. Suddenly she lost feeling in her hand, and she raised sleepy green eyes to Mia's harsh blue ones.  
  
"Mia, what are you doing?"  
  
Mia's hold on her wrist tightened. "What did you say to me?"  
  
Rachel watched in interest as her hand went from a bluish-white to a purplish-blue. She had read somewhere that your hand could actually die, and then it would have to be amputated. Maybe she could get Tsukino to make her a robotic hand. Meeting her and getting that hand would almost be worth losing it. But not when your sister was the cause.  
  
"Mia, I said "no". I'm busy right now. After you're done hurting me, I'm going to finish lunch and go to work."  
  
Rachel actually felt frightened when her sister closed her eyes. Rachel had always kept this bubble around herself, and so never really got to passionate about the world. Life always felt like a bad dream she was going to wake up from any moment. But as red fire outlined Mia's body, one strong emotion penetrated.  
  
Fear. An irrational fear. She had no reason to be afraid of her sister. The red fire was from the sunlight in her eyes, and the frightful look on her sister's face was shadows. The hiss of anger seeping through Mia's teeth was assuredly accounted for by Rachel's stress.  
  
Mia abruptly let go of her sister's purple hand, and spun around. "I'll be late, thanks to you," she snapped angrily as the silver-haired beauty walked out of the house.  
  
Rachel silently nursed her tingling hand, trying to ignore the tidal waves of despair wash over her. Was this what her life was to be? Living in fear of her twin? Ah, dreams. They were wonderful things; a useful escape from reality. There were of course, nightmares as well as good dreams. But this dream hadn't been good for a long, long time. Nightmares had run wild through her life, shadowing the once sunny corridors of her mind. This dream would have been all well and good, except for one thing.  
  
This was a dream that she couldn't wake up from. It was reality. And that final realization made the day seem darker already.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Usagi re-checked her bags for what must have been the thousandth time. Bleac spotted a speck of dust float innocently onto one of Usagi's duffel bags, and she attacked it violently. After wrestling with the bag for a while, she sat up and smiled triumphantly, only to find eight other sets of eyes staring at her.  
  
"Dust," she said by way of explanation, holding up her finger. She must have been greatly amused by this, because she promptly burst out laughing.  
  
"Is it dancing, Bleac?" Nick asked dryly.  
  
She shook her head and laughed again. "No, it was just the look on Bunny's face when I attacked her bag. It was priceless, it truly was."  
  
The aforementioned bunny laughed, and hugged the redhead. "I'm gonna miss you, Pyro. You too, Lorra. And everyone else, too! Damn, I hate.."  
  
"Emotions?" Ranma supplied helpfully. "Watch it, Usa. You're gonna end up sounding like Hiiro!"  
  
"That," Nick said mournfully, "would be a terrible waste of a fabulous body."  
  
Usagi laughed, and punched him on the shoulder. "Shut up, Nick. But thanks for the compliment, baka."  
  
His ears perked up. "I know that word! It's Italian for bread, right?"  
  
Goten laughed out loud. "No, Nick. "Baka" is Japanese for "idiot"."  
  
"Oh. Cool." A long pause. Then, "HEY!"  
  
Everyone burst out laughing at a joke that really wasn't that funny. But tension was high, and everyone was sad to see Usagi go. Life had really been interesting with her around.  
  
Usagi just snickered, and shaded her eyes to look around for her ride. She couldn't see a damn thing. Fucking sun was in her eyes. The whole world was just conspiring against her, she was sure of it.  
  
"G'day mates! Oi, Usa-chan! Ready to be off?"  
  
Usagi glared at the smiling Amos. "Not at all. The last time you said "G'day" to me, I wound up on a strike team, almost got killed by an evil babysitter, and then almost got killed again by a "Hunter" sent by some freakazoid that decided that since I couldn't unleash my full power, it wanted that unleashable power before some other superpower (whom I'm supposed to go slap silly and die in the process) got me. Like I said. "G'day" is a curse, and therefore should not be said to me ever, ever again."  
  
Amos scratched the back of his head. "Okay, whatever you say, mate. Shall we be off then?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Tough luck, Birdie."  
  
"What's with the nickname?"  
  
"Well, no offence, but you're just like a birdie that gets whacked from side to side in a game of badminton. It's funny to watch, but I feel awful for the poor bird."  
  
Lorraine laughed, and everyone looked at her. She shrugged, and then smiled. "I dunno, that just sounded really funny. God.she's being whacked? Lord, I'd say the girl's doin' her own whacking well enough without some stuck up, "I've-got-a-stick-up-my-ass" adult on a fucking power trip!"  
  
Dead silence ruled for three point five seconds, before everyone began to cheer. Usagi's face lit up in a smirk that would have scared the crap out of Queen Beryl. Very scary, seeing as how the flaming whore had killed Usagi before.  
  
Usagi whooped and punched her fist into the air. "All right! Let's go kick some superpower butt!"  
  
  
  
  
  
She and Amos had been flying for what must have been an hour. Yeah, okay. On flying: she was great for short, fast stunt flying, but when it came to the heavy-duty hour long flights, she felt like she had been steamrollered. Repeatedly. She felt her power wavering, and the bunny began to slow down. Amos glanced back, and noticed her falling behind.  
  
"Oh come *on*, moon brat. Or Sept, I should be calling you now."  
  
Usagi raised her head tiredly. "What the hell are you talking about, you blazing moron?"  
  
Amos flipped over and began to fly backwards. "There are seven people on the strike team. You are labeled with numbers, and if you manage to live, the name tends to stick. So get used to being called Sept. Not that I expect you to live, mind you."  
  
She glared at him. "Thanks so much for all of the support, Amos. But dammit, I can't fly long distance! Slow down!"  
  
He snorted, flipped back over, and sped up. Usagi growled at his retreating back. This really wasn't turning out to be her special day. It really, honest to God wasn't. Hearing something, she strained to catch what Amos was yelling back to her.  
  
"I forgot to tell you! We only have one hour to get to Hell before the deadline! And if we're late, the drill sergeant will do some decidedly nasty things to you, and I'm sure you don't want to lose your virginity to a mean army man!"  
  
She cupped her hands. "I'm not a virgin!" Ha. Put that in your ass and think, bastard, she thought smugly. The smile was wiped from her face at his next words.  
  
"I'm sure you'd rather not have him as your first demonic sex partner, however. And he prefers non-virgins anyways."  
  
"I HATE YOU AMOS!"  
  
So. In order to avoid an unwanted experience, she'd actually have to reach down deep into a place that she hadn't been to since she had battled Galaxia. That place was not one that she enjoyed. That was the problem with power, really. It was so tantalizing.you just wanted all of it. When she had been Sailor Moon, she hadn't even known about the huge reservoir of power that slept within her. She hadn't needed it, truthfully. She had always drawn her power from that damned crystal, repeatedly killing herself to avoid diving into that black sea of dormant power.  
  
Ever since she had gone blind, she had felt the rumblings of her power asking to be freed. But she always remembered that night when Galaxia fought her, intending to take Moon's life. Being Sailor Cosmos hadn't been enough, that had become painfully clear when she laid crumpled on the "ground", and so she had dipped down deep into herself, striving to uncover the power that would save her life. She found it, but it was not pleased at being woken so early. Usagi had beat Chaos (or so she had thought), but the effort had nearly cost her life. But she must reach into herself! She must, or die.sort of..  
  
Usagi's face twisted into a mocking grin. Bull *shit*. Like hell she was gonna go *there* again! But maybe skimming a little off the top wouldn't hurt that much. Hesitating even now, she plunged into that damn prison where that little bitch Queen had hidden the "evil, corruptive power". Which, actually, was weird, because that would imply that she had bad ass power (no fucking pink hearts!) even before she turned demon. Usagi slammed into the slick surface of that prison, and found the crack in the Old Bitch's defenses. The black power seeped like liquid fire from that crack, seeking to be completely free. The dark, alluring scent drifted into the blonde's mind like the irresistible perfume of a lover.  
  
'So you've returned..' It whispered to her.  
  
Knowing that it would cost her, she reached out and touched only the very tip of the fire. There was a ripping pain, and a horrible feeling of vertigo. Then it was over, and she was back inside her own body, staring at Amos' ass once more. Life was good, except for the minor fact that something had gone wrong with the power retrieval.  
  
"Goddamn it," she hissed angrily.  
  
Instead of just breaking off, leaving her with a small chunk of power to deal with, it had stretched like rubber. It had never disconnected from the crack, and now it had a direct passage from the prison to her body. Usagi shut her eyes tightly, and then opened them again. Well, she damn well better take the good with the bad. The bad, she couldn't deal with. The good, she thought smugly as she flashed by Amos, was that she could fly rings around the world and still be home in time for dinner.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
_______________________  
  
  
  
  
  
Okay, here's the scoop.  
  
HAHAHAHA!!!!! I FINISHED THE CHAPTER! FINALLY! Chapter Ten, Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen were all going to be one, big ass, grand finale chapter, but I just thought: what the hell? I needed to add a few things anyways. Like. for instance. The couples have been decided. If you see someone that doesn't have a couple, say something, and I'll pair 'em up.  
  
Usa/Hiiro---YAY! I'm very happy about this, I have to say. I LIKE Hiiro/Usa stories.*sighs*  
  
Lorraine/Duo: AIIIEEEE!!! Kawaii, ne? I thought it would fit.  
  
Quatre/Bleac: Weird, huh? It was a tie between Quatre and Wufei for her, but I asked the REAL Bleac, and she chose Quatre. = )  
  
And that's it. Those are all the votes we have. Poor Nick! Poor Amos! Poor Lexie! Poor Akane! *cough* Poor Relena. *cough*yeah right*cough* VOTE, ppl! And, I have to know. Do you want anything particularly spectacular to happen in the last chapter? I'm throwing every single goddamn thing I can think of. But maybe you can think of something better.? 


	11. Chapter Eleventeen

Good Riddance  
  
Chapter Eleventeen  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Relena looked up when she heard a knock on her door. The girl stared in confusion at the door, almost amazed that someone would interrupt her. Then suddenly she realized that a knock meant "permission to enter?", and so she leaped up and fairly ran to the door. Flinging it open, her wide, welcoming smile died on her face.  
  
Before her was Mr. Sanagi Natuko. The most influential man in America. And he did not look happy. Behind him, a girl about the age of most of the teens in the camp was looking around with huge eyes. Relena swallowed.  
  
"Mr. Natuko. Please, come in and be seated."  
  
He took the girl's arm, and swept into the room like a glacier. The hostility was radiating off him in such great waves, the blonde pacifist was staggered. What could possibly make him so impossibly angry? He dropped into a chair, and motioned for the girl to sit as well. She did so, and folded her hands in her lap, letting the tears trail down her cheeks.  
  
Relena was at a loss for words. "What on Earth is going on?" she wanted to scream. Instead, she simply turned to the owner of F6 and summoned a concerned expression. She was too young for this.  
  
"Is she alright?"  
  
Mr. Natuko flicked an irritated hand at her. "You might know, Your Highness."  
  
The problem with this man, she finally remembered, was that he had an almost fanatical devotion to family, and that he was always polite. He always followed the Polite Book to the comma, and even though his words could be stinging, no one could ever fault him. Of course, the fanatical devotion to his family also got in the way of his impeccable manners, and Relena already had seen enough lapses in manners to get him in serious trouble. But this also meant that something was very wrong.  
  
"No, I don't, sir. Please, tell me why you came," she said softly.  
  
Suddenly the door flew open, and Duo stuck his head into the room. His violet eyes were wide, and his brown braid was in a disarray. "RELENA!" he wailed. "BUNNY'S GONE, AND LORRA-KOI SAYS SHE'S GONNA DIE!" He looked behind him and winced. "And you better find her fast," he said, "or else Hiiro's going to go all homicidal psycho type," he warned.  
  
Then the door closed, and he was gone. Relena sneaked a peek at her guest's face, ignoring the mention of Hiiro. It had darkened. Okay, well that explained what was wrong. Now how to avoid getting sued?  
  
"Don't worry about her," someone said suddenly.  
  
Relena and Sanagi both swiveled to look at the girl that Sanagi had brought with him. She had a very tiny, smug smile on her face. The kind of smile that said "HA! You all SUCK!". Politely, of course.  
  
"What?" they asked in unison.  
  
The girl grinned. "Well, you can't be sued Your Highness, because she already had prior engagements. And she might die, but I don't think so. Bunny doesn't like to let people beat her. Especially when that person is Liko Mia."  
  
Sanagi rubbed his temples wearily. "Explain," he commanded.  
  
"Well, everyone who's anyone to Bunny knows that she lost the first quarter of her soul in the fire before she was signed up for camp. I was talking to a tree demon I found in Central Park, and it knew about Bunny. It said that her name was put on the strike list right as she lost the first part of her soul. So, this was already planned, so no one can sue you for letting her go. I'd rather not think about what would have happened if you had tried to keep her here."  
  
Relena's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. "Excuse me? Tree demon? Her soul? The strike list? What are you talking about? And who are you?"  
  
The girl smiled charmingly. "Excuse me for my forgetfulness. My name is Shy Hyland, and I refuse to say another word about the strike team."  
  
Sanagi elbowed her. "Give her your name, niece."  
  
Relena blinked. "Your name is Shy?"  
  
Mary's eyes unexpectedly filled with tears. "You're teasing me! Everyone's always teasing me! Why can't you just accept my name?" she sobbed as she flung herself out of the room.  
  
The two others stared at the door that Mary had just used as her stage left exit. Relena smiled nervously. "Mr. Natuko," she announced, turning back to her guest, "I assure you that we will do everything in our power to find Ms. Tsukino."  
  
*  
  
*  
  
"I have a feeling," Usagi announced.  
  
Amos looked over at her. "Oh, really."  
  
"Yes."  
  
There was a long pause, while Usagi stared avidly at her surroundings. Hell really wasn't what she had expected. So far, it just looked like a gigantic city (HUGE), with lots of skyscrapers, cars, and people. Of course, there were all sorts of monsters and skeletons wobbling around, and there was one bar.  
  
One bar. Only one, called "O'Leary's Barrel". Weird. And this was Hell?  
  
  
  
The blonde had to look way up as they passed the Hell's Stadium. There was a loud cheer, and Usagi realized with shock that there was a game going on. The football could be seen arcing high into the air. It was a football stadium. Oh my god, Usagi thought gleefully, Hell was a city! It wasn't.like.whatever everyone else thought!  
  
"Sweet!" she whispered.  
  
"So, what's the feeling?" Amos finally asked.  
  
She stared at him. "What?"  
  
"The feeling," he repeated. "What is it?"  
  
Usagi couldn't help but think that he looked unbearably cute right then. He was just so..rabid teddy-bear-like! (Believe me, it's cute) And he had that fabulous accent. BUT THE FEELING! A tiny, feral smile slid onto Usagi's pretty face, and right then Amos was scared. He had always thought Usagi was a little different, but he had never seen her as, well, scary.  
  
"The feeling?" Her smile widened as they advanced upon the central building. Amos was sure he saw some fangs. "I feel like that if anyone is gonna try to kill me.they'll be lucky they're only going to die."  
  
Amos shuddered. Freak, he thought sourly. Why did HE have to be stuck with her? The man, however, kept his thoughts to himself. He had his eye on her little friend, and somehow he got the impression that if he said anything against the damn blonde, his chances would be nil. Of course, everyone knew that you couldn't exactly court people from the Afterdeath. He sighed audibly, and dragged the unresisting Usagi towards the strike team house.  
  
Usagi was wide-eyed. She hadn't been wide-eyed in the longest time, so she was impressed. Really. Hell was, for lack of a better word, sweet. It was alive with all sorts of colors she had only dreamed about. Damn, this was what criminals got? This was like a reward! But maybe there was like a whole different place for the really bad people..  
  
Or not, she thought idly as a demon staked another demon in the heart, and then proceeded to slash the body several times across the chest. Usagi shuddered and moved around to Amos' other side. He gave her a funny look, but made no comment.  
  
Before she knew it, Amos halted before a large door and gave her a long look. Usagi stared at him until he looked away, and then moved around to get a look at the rest of the building. Where the hell were the walls? They weren't supporting the door, that was for sure. She waved her hand behind the door, and finally came to the unsettling conclusion that there were no walls. The door was just kinda..floating there in the middle of nothing. Very cool.  
  
"So?" she asked Amos expectantly.  
  
His eyebrow shot up into his hairline. God, what some people could do with their bodies, Usagi thought in amazement. She snapped to attention when she finally realized that he was talking.  
  
"..freaks, and it scares me in there. Get it?"  
  
Usagi gave him the look. "What do you think, genius?"  
  
Amos sighed again. Why was *he* always sent to look after the freaks, bitches, and bastards? "I *said* that I refuse to go into that house. I have an image to uphold, and I swore to myself that once I survived the strike team I would never set foot, fin, wing, or paw in there ever again." His expression darkened. "I have a crap-load of memories from that place I'd rather not have. Besides, those people are freaks, and it scares me in there. Get it?"  
  
Usagi rolled her eyes and shoved open the door. And nearly dropped her bag in shock. Oh, there was a room alright, but if she remembered correctly, there was no building. And this was one big ass room. The four others in there looked up. One, a woman, smiled brightly, and motioned her inside.  
  
Repeating the word "subspace pocket" to herself over and over, Usagi stepped inside. Nothing happened. What Usagi had expected, she didn't exactly know, but it certainly wasn't nothing. Amos slammed the door behind her, leaving her trapped. Summoning every ounce of self-confidence she had, she grinned, and was promptly presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  
  
"Do your feet hurt?" someone (behind the flowers, she supposed) asked intently. "Because you've been doing laps around my heart," he said softly.  
  
The other two women in the room looked up and groaned simultaneously. "Aaron, don't start," one pleaded.  
  
"I must!" he cried.  
  
The flowers suddenly disappeared, presenting a smirking Usagi with the most adorable face she had ever seen. The face had red spiky hair and these amazing green eyes. Not to mention a fine body, too. Ah, but he was actually hitting on her. She didn't go for guys that just went after everyone. So sad, too bad.  
  
Usagi put on her most charming smile and cocked her head. "Guess what? I have a present for you!"  
  
His eyes narrowed, and he backed up a step. "Listen, missy. I've been around for about three hundred years, and I know exactly what you have in mind for me! A kiss, maybe?"  
  
She stepped right up close to him, and linked her arms around his neck. "No, I'm thinking something more." she paused briefly as her fingers worked behind his neck. ".personal," she whispered against his ear.  
  
He shivered, and right before his hands found some merchandise that wasn't for sale, she took one large step back and lifted up a remote controller. A confused look crossed his face, but he shrugged and advanced on her, eager for his "present". That sweet smile suddenly turned malicious, and she pressed a button.  
  
There was a crackle of electricity, and Aaron yelped. He felt at his neck, and was obviously shocked to find some sort of spiky collar. Very cool looking, but not worth it. He lifted his green eyes to her blue, and glared.  
  
"What kind of present is this?" he asked, almost laughing.  
  
Usagi grinned. "Well, you never let me finish. I was going to say that I had always saved a present for someone like you." She waltzed further into the house and sat down ungracefully. "Besides, I hate it when guys give me flowers."  
  
Aaron sat down beside her, curious. "Why? In my experience, girls like it! And I've been alive the longest out of all of us! Three hundred odd years," he said proudly.  
  
Usagi shouldered her bag off her back and tilted her head to one side to return a stare from one of the other girls. When the other girl looked away, Usagi looked back at Aaron. "Well, my ex used to give me flowers all the time. Then he attacked me. Twice, I think. Right before I died the first time, and right after I went blind. He was a moron."  
  
Aaron looked shocked. "I don't understand! How could any man treat a woman so horribly?"  
  
The blonde was amused, and partially flattered that Aaron thought like that. "Well, Aaron. Guys aren't always the brightest things in the world-- --"  
  
He waved at her frantically. "No! No! I don't understand how anyone could possibly mar the Beauty that belongs to every female!"  
  
One of the women laughed, and smiled up at Usagi's uncomprehending expression. "He considers women a divine gift to man from the Powers That Be."  
  
"Ah, but it is to laugh!" Aaron said dismissively. "The point is this; have you gotten that sacrilegious jerk back?"  
  
"Not yet," she said grimly. "You know the girl that we're supposed to be attacking? Liko Mia? Well, she's his new girl. And my arch-enemy. Her sister, mom, and dad are nice, so I frankly don't see how the girl could have turned out to be such a bitch. But, as I'm sure you know, things happen."  
  
One of the women looked up, almost nervously. "There aren't too many.um, kittens just, um, *wandering* around on the streets in Tokyo, are there?"  
  
Usagi cocked an eyebrow. "Millions," she replied, wondering what reaction that would bring.  
  
Every ounce of color drained from her face, and she clutched the lucky rabbit's foot she was holding to her chest. The woman looked absolutely terrified. Aaron began laughing, and the second woman gave him an evil look. The first woman made a sign with her fingers, and took a deep breath.  
  
"God save us all," she said fatalistically.  
  
Usagi smiled evilly. She could have some great fun with this new information. It was always useful to know what someone else was afraid of, in case they turned out to be some kind of psychotic stalker-bitch bent on the destruction of the world. Imagining several scenarios where the blonde simply threw a kitten at the woman, thus saving the world, Usagi lifted her bag back up onto her shoulders and went off, ready to explore. After all, she was kind of paranoid about having the premium escape route planned out. Almost dieing in a fire does that to you.  
  
So far there was only the living room (where the two women and Aaron were), and a hall. Usagi continued down this hall, intent on finding the rest of these rooms. She lifted her eyes from the walls, where the doors were supposed to be, and focused on the wall in front of her. Which, of course, wasn't possible. She turned back around and looked back down the hall. Well, she obviously hadn't missed anything, so where the hell were the doors? Were they all expected to be all chummy and sleep on the pull-out couch together? I think not.  
  
"Who're you?" someone asked.  
  
The bunny whipped her around, searching for the voice. It was nowhere to be found. The voice giggled, and then Usagi knew where the voice was coming from, and why she hadn't seen any doors. The blonde looked up, her slightly grown out pigtails falling behind her shoulders. Sure enough, there was a wide square hole in the ceiling, that led to what looked like a vertical hall. Sweet. Exercising more power than she would have liked, she flew up to float beside the laughing girl.  
  
"Who're you?" Usagi asked, scowling. She did not like being laughed at.  
  
The girl wagged her finger. "Ah, ah, ah! I asked you first!"  
  
Usagi crossed her arms and let her face fall into a non-expression, masking all thoughts. This way she used the mask to measure up her opponent. She was young. Thirteen, fourteen. Black hair that framed her face in sweet layers. Wide, laughing, brown eyes, flecked with green and blue. Long eyelashes that gave a decidedly venerable look. Flawless complexion, slightly darker than most, almost Mexican in appearance. Nice lips, parting in a wide, happy smile. She was wearing a loose pink halter top, and snug, tiny shorts that had ties on the side. In other words, ugh. Cute, but god, what a sense of style! Usagi made a mental note to stay away from this girl.  
  
Apparently this girl had enough of waiting, and so broke the long silence. "I'm Sarah King! You can call me Deux (pronounced "dukes"), though, 'cause I was the second recruit for the team. My brother, Tommy, was number one. We're supposed to call him Uno. Marie is Troix.or was it Tres? Oh yeah, it was Tres. God, I can never remember. We're named after the French and Spanish numbers, up to Seven, which is you, Sept (pronounced "set"). Anyways. Tres is the one that's terrified of kittens. I haven't the faintest idea why, and she's not talking. The other woman down there, that's Cinq (pronounced Sank). That's French for "five". The boy, Aaron, the annoying one, *his* name is Quatre."  
  
At Usagi's start of surprise, she nodded. "Yeah, that's the name of the sweet G-Boy. We all call him Q, because he is nothing like the Quatre that *you* know," she said with almost a hint of admiration. Before Usagi even could open her mouth, Deux plunged on.  
  
"Um, the man you probably forgot to notice is Dr. Dupont. His number is "six", but we just call him "Dr." He's the going to be the physician on the strike. Uno, my brother, is the electronic expert. He's the one that will get us ready for our strike, with getting fake ID and stuff. Cinq is the strategy genius." Deux hesitated, and shot a look at the stormy looking blonde. "They're the ones that don't usually die. The offensive, you, me, Q, and Tres.. We're the ones that are not going to be seeing our families again."  
  
Usagi laughed and slapped the depressed girl on her back, earning a squawk and a nasty look. "No worries!" Usagi said cheerfully. "Liko Mia is someone I've been wanting to torture to the point of death.wait. I want to torture her nearly to the point of death, inject some painful magic to restore her life, and keep on torturing her until she's almost dead. Then I'm going to do it again. And again. And again. By the time I actually let her die, she'll be begging forgiveness. I won't forgive her though. I'll just kill her. Then I'll come meet her in Hell and make sure that even her soul is miserable."  
  
Deux was staring at her with wide eyes. To Usagi it looked like the girl was shocked that someone could be that violent. But unbeknownst to the hate-filled blonde, the small girl was just beginning to believe that they actually had a chance.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
"Do you know someone named Lorraine?" Mary asked the boy politely.  
  
The boy spun, and she found herself looking right down the barrel of his gun. Her mouth dropped open, and then she shrieked and slapped the gun from his hand. Then, realizing what she had done, and how close she had been to certain death, she dropped to her knees, numb with shock. She looked up at him, wrestling with the paralysis coursing through her mind.  
  
"What the hell was that for?" she shrieked. Why was life always so complicating? She suddenly decided that it was Bunny's fault, and resolved to kill the blonde the moment she saw her.  
  
The boy scowled at her. "I am not in a good mood right now," he muttered.  
  
"Hey!" someone new yelled. "You were there with Bunny at the ball! What are ya doing here, of all places?"  
  
A pretty cute (okay, she conceded. Pretty damn hot) boy ran over to them from somewhere over the horizon. Smiling. Oh god, she thought in disgust. Just what she needed. A smiling boy on this awful day. So, she looked over at him, and haughtily decided to reply.  
  
"I am getting myself shot and killed in an incredibly cruel fashion," she answered conversationally. "So, unless you can tell me where Lorraine is, please go away so I can die in peace."  
  
For some unknown reason, the boy's face flushed a deep, amazing red. Mary hadn't really even thought it was possible to blush that hard. Well, Trey had a really interesting blush, but still, it was somewhat amusing to see another cute guy blush.  
  
"Yeah, I, um, know where Lorraine is," he was saying haltingly.  
  
Ah-HA!, she though gleefully. Victory at last! She favored him with a sweet smile. "Well then! In that case, please tell this nutcase to QUIT SHOVING HIS GUN IN MY FACE, GET OVER HIS LITTLE POWER TRIP, and kindly take me to Lorraine."  
  
The boy laughed. "You're funny, and if Bunny likes you, I do too. Anyways, don't be too harsh on Hiiro over there, he's still pissed off that Bunny left and didn't tell him. But I mean, like Bunny would tell anyone anything!"  
  
Ooooh, she thought evilly. Interesting. She brought a mildly curious expression to her face. "Oh, really? Well, I think I know where Bunny is.and I have something that Hiiro would greatly enjoy hearing, if he is as far gone on our bunny as I think he is!"  
  
The trigger happy boy (Hiiro) looked evilly at the both of them. His hands were unclenching, and clenching, like he desperately wanted to place those hands around Mary's neck. She smiled sweetly at him, and he gripped his gun more tightly.  
  
The boy laughed again. "Yup, I can see why Bunny liked you. Well, let's get you over to Lorraine!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Lorraine, Bleac, and Lexie stared at each other. They had been sitting like this for quite a while. Tsuzumi was meditating, to keep herself from murdering the three. Bleac and Lorraine were sitting on a rock, holding onto each other's hands in order not to fall off. Lexie was just sitting cross-legged in the dirt, rapidly shuffling a deck of cards. Probably, rigged, Lorraine was thinking wryly.  
  
"This is not good," Lexie finally announced.  
  
This loud intrusion made Tsuzumi crack an eye open, glare balefully at the girl, and made Bleac lose her concentration, which made the French and Irish girls fall off the rock. Lorraine propped herself up with both arms behind her back, and scowled at the Canadian.  
  
"Oh, really."  
  
Lexie shook her head, feeling the comfortable weight of her ponytail swinging behind her. "No, I'm serious. The talent show is tomorrow."  
  
"Reeeeaaaaally," Bleac said, yawning. Then the full import of the words sunk in, and her eyes flew open. "Sonnova BITCH! We have nothing! And we have to win! We have to!"  
  
"Well," Lexie began, before Lorraine cut her off with a sharp wave of her hand.  
  
"Shut up, chica. This is bad news. Okay, well we all know we're going to do a song. But who's singing, and what?"  
  
Lexie mulled over this for a while, and then sat up. "Well, I think we should do a play."  
  
Everyone stared at her, and then Bleac cleared her throat. "Oh, yeah?"  
  
"Yup. It could be called "The Life of a Bunny: the Abbreviated version! I mean, come ON! No one would believe Bunny's life anyway---"  
  
".so she can sing "Left of the Middle" by that Natalie Imbruglia chick, 'kay?"  
  
"Sounds good to me."  
  
Lexie blinked. "What?"  
  
Bleac and Lorraine beamed at her. "We've decided you're going to sing in the talent show! You're gonna sing "Left of the Middle", by that Imbruglia chick. Usa-chan has the CD somewhere, I think."  
  
"But I can't sing," she tried to protest.  
  
Lorraine whapped her on the back. "Sure you can! You're a cabin tener! You can do anything! Oh, *hey* Duo," she purred as Duo walked up to them (grinning). "All better?"  
  
Duo went a little pink, but nodded. "All better and ready for round two," he said lightly.  
  
Lorraine burst out laughing, and nodded, a little breathlessly. "Sure thing, babe. I'll see ya later then! Aaaaiiiiieee! Shy, m' dear girl! FABULOUS to see you in person and fully clothed!"  
  
Mary shot her a dirty look. "I wasn't the one playing tag, Lorraine."  
  
Lorraine giggled. "You should have been. Usa-chan showed me a picture of Trey.yummy."  
  
"Hey!" Duo protested loudly.  
  
Lorraine laughed yet again and hugged him. "But you're still my favorite, m'love. Now what'd you bring Shy here for? Oh! Does she know something about Bunny? If so, we're all ears!"  
  
Mary shifted. "Well. I can't say I'm exactly *happy* to be telling you this tragic tale of great horror and woe, but tell you I must! It all began one bright day.so long ago, as they say. Or even once upon a time, for it must have been an era in and of itself! Our beloved bunny, Tsukino Usagi, was blinded by a fire. A demon arose out of the ashes of the fire that consumed the lives of her family, and offered her a deal. A portion of her soul, for her family's lives. She, of course, accepted. At that instant, her name was on a list. An engagement that could not have been rescheduled for the world. The girl---"  
  
"Get the hell on with it! You might have been a bard in you past life, but right now you're just annoying as HELL!" Bleac muttered.  
  
Mary glared at the redhead, who glared right back. Then she sighed, and caved in. "Fine, fine, fine! Bunny's been assigned to a team that is supposed to go kick Sailor Moon's ass, and survive. She's probably gonna die, which isn't cool.. So, I propose that we save her sorry little ass from extinction, and go to Tokyo and help her kill Sailor Moon."  
  
Lexie frowned. "But isn't Sailor Moon a good thing?"  
  
Lorraine nodded. "Yeah, but you don't know the whole story. See, Bunny's really Sailor Moon, but they stole the thing that gives her the Moon powers, and gave it to her reborn cousin or something. Then they decided to hate her, and.yeah."  
  
"Wait, wait, wait," Lexie said confusedly, "who's "they"?"  
  
""They"," Bleac said bitterly, "are the Sailor Senshi."  
  
"Damn it all, why can't I just have one normal summer?" Duo wondered aloud.  
  
"Because the little brat leaks magic like hell, and it transforms everyone around her," a new, irritated, Australian voice griped.  
  
"Amos!" Bleac screeched.  
  
The Australian demon smiled at her, and she immediately began whispering excitedly to Lorraine. Tsuzumi didn't even open an eye, while Mary and Lexie stood there in slack jawed amazement. I mean, come ON. It's not every day your life gets so amazingly screwed up that demons come complaining about the fact that the ex-Sailor Moon leaked magic.  
  
Then the smile slipped from his face, and he began scowling again. "Listen. I just want to make sure that you're not going to hatch some crackpot scheme to save Usagi, because that would be bad."  
  
Lorraine and Bleac summoned equally indignant looks to their faces. "Of course not!" they chimed.  
  
Amos raised an eyebrow. "My ass. Anyways, stay away from Usagi. Got it?"  
  
"Why don't you tell them *why*, demon?" Tsuzumi's harsh voice snapped from the tree.  
  
The demon turned around and glared at her. "I will," he said angrily, "if you'll tell them the complete, detailed, fascinating reason why you won't kill Usagi. Something about a. package deal?"  
  
The nasty look slid from her face to be replaced with one of grudging acceptance. "Fine," she muttered, and returned to carving pictures of her getting separated from Usagi, and Usagi dying a cruel, unusual, painful death. Muwahahahahaha. Evil at it's peak, she decided, reflecting upon her artwork. 'If wishes were fishes...'  
  
*  
  
*  
  
".we'd walk on water," the late Queen Serenity snapped.  
  
She paced back and forth on the heavily embroidered carpet, while several servants chased after her, trying to do up her hair in a "special" hairstyle. Which meant the Royal pattern with a few pearls woven in. Beautiful look, if you weren't going anywhere or moving. Heavens no! If you moved, the pearls would come cascading down onto your back and into your face, which was why the hairdressing servants were being driven into a frenzy at the sight of the Queen's unkempt hair.  
  
Pluto tried to reason with her. "Well, as you can see Your Majesty, the princess is happy down there. She is smiling a great deal, and is also laughing, which I have learned are two noticeable signs of pleasure."  
  
Serenity gave her advisor a sharp look. "Are you talking down on me, Sailor Pluto?"  
  
"Heavens, no, Your Majesty!"  
  
Queen Serenity glared at her, walked to the window, and crossed her arms. The woman stared out the window for a long moment, while Pluto sipped at her cup of tea, trying to figure out what she could say to dissuade the Queen from her doomed attempts to fetch Usagi and redirect her onto the right path. Finally, Serenity spoke again.  
  
"She's happy?" the Queen asked stiffly.  
  
"Very, Your Majesty," the green-haired woman replied cautiously. Haruka's "Koneko" was rapidly becoming her least favorite subject.  
  
"Even in Hell?"  
  
Oh, no, Setsuna thought frantically. Here it came. What the whole meeting had been broiling up to. The fact that golden girl Princess Serenity, Sailor Moon, Light of Hope, Sailor Cosmos, was in Hell. Needless to say, Queen Serenity was not entirely happy with this fact.  
  
"Might I point out that it is a trifle late in the game to influence your--- "  
  
"Even in Hell?" she repeated, whirling on the other woman furiously.  
  
"Even in Hell, Your Majesty," Setsuna said softly.  
  
The Queen spun back towards the window and gripped the windowsill tightly. "I suppose," Serenity said with barely masked fury, "that Lord Samuel would have enjoyed this very much. He was the bad one.a grievous mistake."  
  
"Lord Samuel was.."  
  
"The unfortunate father of my one child. I should never have let his Blood into the Royal line. I think I had him poisoned.. I could not let it get out that I had had a brief liaison with a man of the Saturn nobility. Especially one of Blood. what could I have possibly been thinking, Sailor? Yes, I'm sure I had him poisoned. Then I quickly married that nice prince from the Solar Kingdom. what was his name? Ah, Selene, I can't remember. And he was my husband! So, I let my baby Serenity be born, everyone thinking it was my husband's child. I think *he* even thought it was his child. I took so much care to train the Blood out of her." Her expression twisted savagely. "And now look what she's become! She is a demon! One of the kind I have sworn to hate for eternity!"  
  
"So what will you do, Your Majesty?"  
  
That story was what she had been waiting for. The King and Queen of Saturn had two children. One was the Heir; Prince Romeo. The other was Prince Hamlet. She had always found that amusing. Shakespeare had obviously some connections to the Silver Millennium, because every character he had ever created was named in the Millennium. Well, Prince Hamlet had married into Blood, and his parents disowned him. He became Lord after marrying his bride, and had a child, named Samuel. Hamlet's brother Romeo had a daughter, whom he named Juliet. Juliet married a wealthy nobleman, and had only one daughter, named Hotaru. Juliet's cousin Samuel had only one child, who was now exposed to be Princess Serenity herself. God, Pluto marveled, what a history. The two Messiahs..related. God..  
  
Then Pluto realized that Her Majesty had been silent for quite a while. A great sense of foreboding grew unpleasantly in the pit of her stomach. She watched idly as the tension in the queen's shoulders intensified, and she detachedly wondered if she should offer a massage. But no. When the Queen's voice came, it was tired. As if she just needed sleep.  
  
"There's only one thing I can do. I will announce that Princess Serenity has been lost to us, and I shall name Mia my heir." Suddenly her face darkened, and the rage crept into her voice once more. "And I hope that will teach Usagi to turn her back on *me*," she hissed angrily.  
  
This, Setsuna though in horror, was not good at all.  
  
*  
  
On a plane headed for Tokyo:  
  
*  
  
"THAT BITCH IS GOING TO *WHAT*?"  
  
Michiru flapped her hands and Haruka, waving desperately for her lover to be silent. The others on the plane where staring at the furious blonde man with the cell phone.  
  
"Oh, Haruka, please!"  
  
"SHE CAN'T DO THAT! YES, I KNOW DAMN WELL WHO THAT BITCH IS! BUT--- YES I KNOW WHO I AM! I, UNLIKE THAT BITCH, AM NOT INSANE! I DO NOT HAVE A DEATH- WISH FOR THE WHOLE, GODDAMNED WORLD! GOOD BYE, I AM GOING TO KILL THAT LITTLE WHORE BEFORE THAT OLD WITCH CAN EVEN TAKE A STEP TOWARDS HER!"  
  
Haruka stuffed the phone back into her pocket and sat down, breathing heavily. Michiru swallowed, and handed her a handkerchief. The tomboy mopped her brow, and then stuffed that into her pocket, too.  
  
"I can't believe it," Haruka said softly. The rage had worn of, and the Senshi of the Wind was now going through what doctors called shock. "I just can't believe she'd go that far.."  
  
"Haruka, what's going on?" she begged.  
  
The sandy haired racer shook her head incredulously. "Serenity is naming Mia her heir. Liko Mia, with all that power." she shivered, and stared at Michiru intently. "With all that power, I know just what she'll do. She'll hunt down and kill Usagi. That'll be the first thing. Mia's a smart girl, so she'll be able to get an empire up and running. But then it'll go bad. What was supposed to be a golden era will turn into an era of tyranny. I think, " she said slowly, "that I would like very much to kill her. Koneko's reborn cousin, out to kill her. God," Haruka said bitterly, "what has our lives become?"  
  
Michiru reached for Haruka's hand and grasped it gently. "Exactly what they need to be, for better or for worse."  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Camp Happy Pines  
  
Cabin Ten: Girl's Side  
  
  
  
  
  
"Lorraine," Bleac whispered.  
  
No response. The Irish girl frowned, rolled out of bed, and walked around Usagi's bed to Lorraine's. She crouched beside it, and poked the slumbering girl.  
  
"Lorraine!" she hissed.  
  
The black girl came awake with a start, and looked around with annoyed, sleep filled eyes. "Uhnnnmm..?"  
  
Bleac began playing with the frayed blanket that Lorraine called "Boink-a- roo". This was not easy for her. In all her life, she could only remember asking for help a few times. She had always been able to deal with THIS sort of trouble. But this time it was different, for some Godforsaken reason.  
  
"I need help," she whispered finally.  
  
Upon hearing this, Lorraine pulled herself up more. "Help?" she echoed. "What with?"  
  
Again, Bleac hesitated, before just plunging on. "See, I like this guy---"  
  
"Oh, is that all?" Lorraine asked, grinning. "You can let me go back to sleep now. You can handle this on your own."  
  
"No I can't!" Bleac hissed fiercely.  
  
That stopped Lorraine. The girl sat up on her bed, and then jerked her head towards the foot of her bed, where Bleac was to sit and tell all. "So. Irish Reject Girl. What the hell is with this guy, that you can't handle him on your own?"  
  
The redhead knotted Lorraine's blankie in her hands, and took a deep breath. Lorraine wasn't going to like this. "Well," she said slowly. "This guy is..well, nice. Nicer than you, me, Lexie, or Usagi. Actually, he's not even going to this camp. He's a total sweetheart. It was his idea even to volunteer for this camp. It wasn't like his friends wanted to do it. But all the other guys I've ever dealt with were perverts and punks. I don't even know how to talk to him."  
  
A wry smile touched Lorraine's lips. "Quatre Winner."  
  
Bleac's sheepish nod confirmed her guess. Lorraine just snickered. "Dr. Winner's gonna be pissed about THIS one, Irggy! Damn, his dad should have told him to get acne or something. That boy's gonna be a heartbreaker; he says to his wife. Jesus," she laughed, running her fingers through her spikes, "it was only a matter of time before some hapless girl fell to those puppy eyes. So you want to snag the richest man in the world, eh? This is gonna be fun," she said, smiling evilly.  
  
"Seriously though," she continued in a slightly more serious vein, "Irggy, just be yourself. If Winner's everything I hear he is, he'll be able to see right through whatever front you put up. And if he's not man enough to take what you are, to Hell with him. Let Usa-chan deal with him. My advice: go get 'im tiger!"  
  
Bleac rolled her eyes and traipsed back over to her bed. She snuggled under the covers, and then flopped onto her back. She crossed her arms behind her head, and stared at the ceiling thoughtfully.  
  
"Lorraine?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Don't ever call me Irggy ever again."  
  
"Sure thing," Pause. "Irggy."  
  
Lorraine stayed up for quite a while after Bleac finally fell asleep, thinking. She sighed loudly, and then smiled. "Bleac, m'dear, you're not staying single if it's the last thing I ever do. Lexie!" she whispered loudly.  
  
  
  
  
  
The Next Morning:  
  
"Girls, time to wake---up?" Quatre trailed off when he didn't see anyone in the cabin. Frowning to himself, he poked his head into the guys' half of the cabin. It was empty. This was not right. It was six thirty in the morning, and Cabin Ten was vacated? He was getting nervous. Silence in this cabin meant death.  
  
"Where is everyone?" a sleep drugged voice asked blearily.  
  
"I was hoping you would----oh, hey, Bleac." Quatre swallowed hard, and made an effort to look anywhere but at the redhead (who was looking unbearably cute, his evil, demonic sub-conscience-that-should-die added in delight).  
  
Bleac glared at the door, which she could already tell was locked. She heard Lorraine's snicker, and Nick's loud, shameless cackle. The girl ran to the window, and glared evilly at Trunks and Goten, who only waved, and then went along their way looking entirely too pleased with themselves.  
  
"Sorry Quatre-kun, but we're going to be staying in here unless informed otherwise."  
  
He looked at her, startled. "Why?"  
  
Bleac pointed wordlessly at the door. Walking over to it, she turned the doorknob and pushed. It didn't even budge. Quatre's face turned an interesting red, which was odd, because he shouldn't have been blushing unless---- Bleac froze, and then smiled evilly.  
  
"Hey Quat-kun, you wanna play a game?"  
  
  
  
  
  
Hiiro dragged Wufei, Duo, and Trowa down the dusty road intent on his destination. Wufei could do nothing but follow along resignedly. The Perfect Soldier was acting like a madman. He claimed it was because he wanted to know where all of his computer programs went, but now everyone could see through it, which annoyed the man to no end. So here he was, dragging his comrades down to Cabin Ten in search of an answer.  
  
They heard Lorraine long before they could see her.  
  
"GOD! This is going to be so funny! Bleac TOTALLY spilled the beans to me last night! It was just my luck that he was supposed to---oh! Hello boys," she said nervously, exchanging a look with the boy next to her.  
  
"That who was supposed to what?" Duo asked curiously.  
  
Lorraine shot him an evil look, already too late in warning him. She heard the click of a safety going off, and then the press of cold metal against her skin. Lorraine sighed, and raised her hands.  
  
"What have you done with Quatre?" Hiiro demanded.  
  
Lorraine sighed heavily, and looked pleadingly at Lexie who sighed as well. She cleared her throat. "Well, we kinda locked him and Bleac together in the cabin."  
  
Hiiro, who had clearly been expecting something else, glared even more. Wufei and Trowa looked dumbfounded. Duo's eyes widened, and he wriggled his eyebrows. Lorraine made a swift motion with her hands, and Duo's jaw dropped.  
  
"WOO-HOO! GO Q-MAN!"  
  
Lorraine laughed, and leaped into Duo's arms. They both bounced around laughing for a bit, until two more safeties went off. Lorraine gulped, and looked around between Majin Trowa, Majin Wufei, and Majin Hiiro. Wufei scowled so hard, Lexie was convinced that his face was going to tear away from his hairline. Even though he was a kawaii evil baka.  
  
"Explain," Wufei commanded.  
  
Five Minutes Later:  
  
"AND YOU LEFT THEM BY THEMSELVES?" Duo shrieked in delight. "Score for Lorra-koi!"  
  
"Koi?" Hiiro demanded. Why was life so complicating? He, like Mary, decided it was Usagi's fault, and felt the urgent need to kill her. Or kiss her. Whichever opportunity presented itself first. But back to the subject at hand. He worsened his glare, which had slipped a bit.  
  
Lorraine and Duo smirked. "Damn straight," Lorraine said proudly. Duo slapped his forehead.  
  
"We," Wufei said stiffly, "are going to go rescue Quatre."  
  
Nick sniggered, drawing a look from Trunks and Goten, whom also began to snicker. Lexie folded her arms.  
  
"And just what is so funny?"  
  
"Nothing. I just hope we don't walk in on something that's going to scar our virgin eyes."  
  
"What do you mean?" Lorraine asked excitedly.  
  
Trunks snickered again. "Let's just say our hearing is unbelievably amazing. Isn't that right, Goten?"  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
Wufei exchanged a look with Trowa, and bolted down the trail towards Cabin Ten. It looked pretty innocent. It was a simple wooden cabin, with a welcome sign hung on the door. Well, it actually said "Fuck Off", but it was welcoming enough. Trees surrounded it on all sides, and artwork was sprayed all over the walls. The steps were sagging, and slightly broken, giving the place a rustic charm. There was also a large pile of rocks and furniture blocking the door, which opened out. Obviously leaving the occupants to escape.  
  
Justice Boy practically threw himself at the mess, digging frantically to clear the doorway. He was making a great deal of noise, Lexie noted in amusement. The occupants of the room apparently heard the commotion, because there was a feminine giggle, and a muffled exclamation. Then came the sounds of feet scrambling against the floor. This, of course, spurred Wufei on. After a while he finally cleared the door. Flinging it open, he stormed into the cabin and was presented with the sight of Quatre and Bleac innocently playing cards on the floor.  
  
Nick poked his head in and snickered loudly when he saw lip-gloss on Quatre's cheek. The golden boy's hair was tousled, and Bleac's bedcovers were rumpled. The boy was blushing furiously, and Bleac was looking amazingly pleased with herself. Lexie looked in, saw all of it with a few additions (being a girl), and laughed out loud.  
  
"Lorraine!" she yelled. "It worked!"  
  
Wufei's face was turning purple. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, WINNER?"  
  
  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Hell  
  
The Strike Home:  
  
  
  
  
  
Thump. What was that? Was it the storming feet of an angry girl as she ran from her mother.?---Or only her heartbeat pounding loudly in her ears? An image pierced her mind. A brown haired girl, eyes wide, mouth dropped in a silent scream.  
  
Thump. A searing light. A picture of a blonde girl--- herself?--- leaping through the air at another silver haired girl.  
  
Thump. A blinding pain. Two men standing with their arms folded watching something. One man glowed white, and the other man glowed red.  
  
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. The pictures came faster and faster, until it was almost to the point of pure, physical pain.  
  
Thump. Usagi's eyes snapped open, and she sat straight up, clutching the covers to her chest. A minute later she realized that she was dripping with sweat and breathing heavily, as if she had just won a race. The blonde shuddered, and kicked the covers back. She stood up and staggered into her small bathroom. Usagi leaned heavily against the counter, and turned on the water. Cupping her hands together, she splashed her face with water, and then rubbed at her eyes.  
  
Then she looked into the mirror and almost screamed. She wasn't there. The mirror was reflecting the wall, the slightly open bathroom door, and the dark room beyond, but the pale-faced blonde was nowhere to be found. Her stomach twisted, and she felt the steady pounding of her heart rising to her ears. Fighting a wave of panic, she forced the noise back down, and tried to think.  
  
It was not possible that her reflection was simply gone. That could be attributed to the lighting. Vampires had no reflections; not demons. Her heartbeat? She was only scared from a particularly bad dream. It could all be explained, she told herself firmly.  
  
Then she heard it. It was only a soft, lilting melody at first. But then it grew into a powerful, compelling masterpiece, twining in and out of Usagi's mind like the brushing fingers of a ghost. She let the water spill from her fingers, as her eyes went blank. Just like a light going out, her eyes became a dull, lifeless blue. Usagi turned, and walked mechanically out of the bathroom. Outside she stopped, as if unsure of where to go. Then she blinked and the peaceful expression slipped, as if she was struggling to come out of a dream. But then her face smoothed over, and she disappeared.  
  
All that was left in her room was a lonely bed with rumpled covers; a tribute to a troubled sleep, a silent nightstand, and a soft melody drifting in on a cool breeze that came though an open window. An open window that had been locked with a spell.  
  
  
  
  
  
"And what the hell do you think *you're* doing, kidnapping me like this? Damn it, I could kill you for doing this!" Usagi hissed when the spell finally wore off.  
  
The woman on the rock looked at her with her calm, hypnotic eyes, and turned back to finishing up the song she was trilling on her silver flute. The last drifting notes hovered in the air like real things, and then vanished into another realm. Usagi shivered, torn between wonder and fury.  
  
On one had, this whole otherworldly shit kicked fairy ass. In this glen with the exotic woman playing her flute, the division between the worlds seemed so thin. It was as if every note played on that flute was in fact a sprite summoned from Faerie, come to dance in a world where people thought digital clocks were still cool.  
  
On the other had, what right did this woman have to kidnap her like this? And in the middle of the goddamned night! It wasn't right! It wasn't done! Usagi needed her sleep, and she was obviously not getting it.  
  
The woman looked at her in amusement. "If you ask me, you should choose wonder. I have summoned you here for a purpose."  
  
Usagi suddenly chose anger. ""A purpose" my ass! You have absolutely no right---"  
  
"Don't I?" the woman asked quietly. "And what makes you think that right now there is not a human casting a spell that will summon a demon and bind it to the human's will? You, my dear girl, are a magical creature, and like it or not, you're in high demand."  
  
Usagi opened her mouth, and then closed it with a snap. She had no response to that. Well, besides the obvious. "I'll fight them," she said fiercely.  
  
The woman hid her mouth with one hand, as if fighting a laugh. "Tsukino Usagi, I used one of the more simple summoning spells on you. Humans tend to use more painful, detailed ones. They are very cautious, as they well should be. You did not resist my spell. You could not. What makes you think you could resist anyone else's?"  
  
Usagi scowled, and examined her words. Unfortunately, they made sense. But that still didn't explain why the woman had brought her to this glade.  
  
"Why the hell am I here? So far all you've done is---"  
  
"Made you aware of what I will help you fight against," she interrupted smoothly.  
  
Usagi stared at her distastefully. "Why?" she asked simply.  
  
The woman actually smiled. "Truthfully, I'm geas-bound to help you. A man I met was rather adamant about this, and when I refused, he bound me."  
  
The blonde smiled. It didn't sound too different from her own story, except instead of geas-bound, she was fate-bound. Which, actually, were two entirely different stories. Usagi gave the equivalent of a mental shrug and stuck her hand out.  
  
"Hey. I'm Usagi, princess with an anger-problem."  
  
The woman looked at her hand in surprise, and then shook it. "Hello. I'm Amber, witch with a quest." 


	12. 2nd to Last ChapterCH12

Good Riddance  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Gohan was huddled in Usagi's room, sitting next to the.cat. A talking cat. A talking, intelligent cat. They had dug through every corner of the teen's room looking for her diary, and then Luna had leaped into thin air, flipped, and returned with the girl's diary. The cat had obviously warmed to the hunt.  
  
He "gently" unlocked it, and glanced at the first page. It seemed nothing more than an air-headed girl's ramblings. There were several references to a "Chibiusa" who seemed to be her future daughter. For some reason, there were several shaky, angry notes off to the side, written in later. After she was blinded, he realized. Like for instance, when the happy Usagi was going on and on about how fun it was going to be when she married someone named Chiba Mamoru, and had their daughter. Beside it, she had later written "Ha! Daughter no more! Go to Hell, brat"  
  
He riffled through a few more pages, and finally found what he was looking for. The day after she was blinded:  
  
"I can't see. It's scary. I've always been terrified of the dark, and.and now everything's dark. I can't see anything. Is this God's way of punishing me for being a bad person? I really have tried.. I've tried really, really hard just to be patient. I've tried to be brave during fights, and all the others can do is laugh at me for being a coward. Have I not been brave enough? I guess so. Somehow I just get the feeling that this wasn't supposed to happen. I mean, how could I possibly rule an Empire---blind? I guess it will all work out. It always has before."  
  
Gohan stopped reading. A girl's childish hopes. Luna sniffled loudly, tears shining threateningly in her eyes. "It didn't get better. I had no idea that she was so afraid."  
  
"Should I keep reading?"  
  
The cat composed herself. "Please."  
  
He cleared his throat and flipped the page. What he saw almost blew him away. The past entries had been in colorful gel-pens, but this one was written in a wandering, black, bitter hand.  
  
"Ha! So much for "oh everything will turn out alright"! "It always has before"! Bull SHIT! Nothing will ever be alright EVER again!  
  
Number one! MY FUCKING FAMILY IS DEAD!  
  
Number two: I brought them back to life.  
  
Number three: I SOLD A QUARTER OF MY SOUL TO DO IT!  
  
Very noble, very good of me, right? WRONG! And off we go with the number four reason my life sucks: I went down to Rei's temple today, and guess what? THEY NEARLY KILLED ME! THEY ALMOST KILLED ME, AND THEN THEY TOOK MY GODDAMNED CRYSTAL!  
  
So now I am a pissed off, defenseless BLIND GIRL! This does not make me happy. Oh, and it gets even BETTER! Guess who they appointed as the new Sailor Moon? None other that the class-A bitch Liko Mia, my evil cousin from my last life (who eats Bitchy Wheat's for breakfast every morning). God, nothing is ever easy for me, is it? How much you wanna bet that everyone else hates me to? I mean, I'm blind. I can't do a goddamned thing for anyone. They all have to help me. I know I'd hate it. Over and out."  
  
Luna looked shocked. Gohan looked thoughtful. The black cat stared up at Gohan, and wondered crazily how he could be taking this so calmly. Her princess thought everyone hated her.  
  
"Well, that explains a lot," Gohan said absently.  
  
"How?" Luna snapped. "I can't see how this helps at all? All I know is that she has a severely twisted sense of reality!"  
  
Gohan nodded. "There's that too, but listen. One day, she was all self- pitying, which is normal for someone who was just handicapped. But then she is about to go turn over her Crystal, and her friends attack her. They have never done this before, which would lead her to the conclusion that they all hated her because she's blind. Which would mean that if her best friends hated her, everyone else must, too. So if everyone hated her, why bother?"  
  
Luna stared at him in horror. "That's--- that's---that's horrible!"  
  
Gohan cocked an eyebrow. "I can only assume that for Goten, it's much the same story, even though I can't understand why he.oh, I get it. He thought I was the favored one, so he just. alright. I understand. Now, this Usagi story is getting very interesting. Shall we revisit the scene of the crime?"  
  
Luna nodded, and then looked sheepish. "Would you turn away for a moment, please?"  
  
He looked confused, but obliged, being the gentleman he was. There was a small pop of magic, and then a satisfied sigh. He heard something *big* move behind him. It was much too big to be Luna, so something must have happened! He spun around, and came face to face with a naked woman. She had long, curly black hair, and huge maroon eyes. There was also a crescent moon on her forehead. The woman also had a nice, nice body. Her mouth dropped open, and she slapped him, hard.  
  
"I told you to turn around!" she shrieked in an enraged British accent.  
  
The blood rushed to his face, and he spun around. He put thoughts of Videl firmly in his mind, and began chanting her name over and over. Shouldn't he at least be faithful to his long-dead wife? He listened to the maddening sounds of her dressing, and then putting shoes on. Then he heard her brushing out her hair.  
  
"You can turn around now," she commanded in a slightly irritated voice.  
  
He happily obliged, and gaped. The woman stood there in a snug yellow halter-top, tiny denim shorts, and black flip-flops. The top half of her unruly curls were tied back with a blue ribbon, but a few stray curls had escaped and hung down on her face. She was adorable.  
  
"What happened to Luna?"  
  
The woman laughed. "I *am* Luna. I can shift into human-form. Shall we?"  
  
Gohan nodded dumbly, and thought about Videl.  
  
As they neared the burnt wreckage of the former Tsukino household, they saw a girl standing there. She didn't appear to be doing anything. Just standing there, thinking. Finally, she knelt, and brushed her fingers through the ashes. Gohan and Luna were towering right above her, and she still didn't realize they where there.  
  
Gohan cleared his throat, and she leaped up with a startled shriek. Sighting them, she made as if to run away. Luna held up her hands, trying to soothe the frightened girl.  
  
"It's alright. We've come to look at this place too." Luna's gaze swept the grounds. "It doesn't look quite right. Have you discovered anything?"  
  
The silver haired took a deep breath, and raised her startling green eyes to Luna's. "Yes, I think I have. It's not much, though. I was looking around over here, and I heard voices. So I hid, and I overheard their conversation. The girl was saying that she had used a certain kind of match to light the fire, and the man became very angry, which would imply that the match would and could be found. Which would also mean that it was not a normal match, because it wouldn't burn. Then the girl said that she had done it for "love of fun", and then they disappeared. By the way they said it, it sounded like it was all planned out, that something was going to happen, and that the Tsukino girl had some kind of big part." She stopped abruptly, suddenly looking like she was wondering why she had just told them all of that.  
  
"She would," Luna muttered absently.  
  
"Why where you looking into the fire?" Gohan asked suddenly.  
  
The girl suddenly flushed. "Well, we just moved here from America, and two days after the fire my sister came home with four new friends. Now that wouldn't be very odd, except these girls were part of the most popular group in school. They wouldn't have let Reese Witherspoon in even if she groveled. So what was she doing with them? I looked into it, and the girls all had one thing in common: Tsukino Usagi. I thought it was strange that only after Tsukino's house went up in flames and she was blinded, Mia came home with them. So I came here."  
  
"Did you say Mia was your sister?" Luna asked sharply.  
  
The girl nodded bewilderedly. Luna sucked in her breath, and then exhaled slowly. "And you are.?"  
  
"Rachel. Oh, I mean, Liko Rani."  
  
"Rachel, or Rani?" the man asked softly.  
  
Rachel tried to shrug indifferently. "Rani is what my parents named me after we moved here. Rachel is my real name. You can call me Rachel, I suppose. Who're you?"  
  
The man nodded his head at her. "Son Gohan."  
  
The woman bobbed a small curtsy. "Luna. About your sister."  
  
Rachel's eyes widened. "You know something? Tell me!"  
  
Luna exchanged a glance with Gohan, and then turned back to Rachel. "Dear, if you knew for a fact that your sister was doing very, very bad things, what would you do?"  
  
"I'd stop her," the girl said promptly.  
  
"Even if it meant killing her?" Gohan asked.  
  
Rachel hesitated, and then all the life flowed from her eyes, leaving soft, blank orbs. "There is no love lost between us. No, I would not kill her. I am not a killer. But I would help. I would do anything in my power to stop her."  
  
Luna favored her with a grim smile. "Fabulous. Now I'm back into the business of destroying young lives again."  
  
"Again?" Gohan asked sarcastically.  
  
"Usagi," she said softly.  
  
Rachel's ears perked up at this. Usagi! They had said the magic word! The final piece to the puzzle! She knew very well that EVERYTHING revolved around Usagi. Without the computer wizard, everything was nothing. And she would give anything to meet her.  
  
"What does Tsukino Usagi have to do with all of this?"  
  
There. She had asked it. The million dollar question. Luna opened her mouth as if to respond, and then closed it with a snap. The black haired woman was obviously reluctant to part with any secrets. The man beside her gave her a disapproving look.  
  
"Luna, if she's going to be in the middle of this.."  
  
The woman angrily shoved some stray curls away from her face, and scowled at him. She turned to the curious Rachel, and crossed her arms. Then they dropped to her side, and spun back around, already walking away.  
  
"Rachel, come with me," she commanded.  
  
"Why?" she asked, running after her.  
  
Luna stopped and gave her a long look. "You're going to meet the protectors of the world, and hear a story about an angry girl that no one listened to."  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Hell  
  
Strike Home:  
  
  
  
  
  
BANG, BANG, BANG!  
  
"USAGI! WAKE UP!"  
  
Deux frowned when there was no response. She had heard that the blonde could sleep through anything, but still.. Deux pushed the door open, and then peeked into the room. Her hazel eyes scanned the room, and then she stepped inside. Moving right away to the bed, she yanked the covers back to find.nothing.  
  
Panic growing in her stomach, she whirled around the room, and then froze when she heard a noise.  
  
"Mmmmm..gimme that gun.gotta blow his fuckin' head off..." a very familiar voice mumbled.  
  
Deux looked up, and sure enough, there was Usagi, sleeping sprawled all over the ceiling. The blonde girl mumbled something (obscene, by the way the paint blackened around her body) and flopped over. She was now sleeping with her back firmly adhered to the ceiling. Deux laughed, and conjured up a broom.  
  
Lifting it as high as she could, she began poking Usagi's belly with it. The blonde swatted at it, and then rolled over again. She sighed loudly, and instantly regretted it when Aaron poked his head into the room. A slightly sick grin lit his face, and he turned it on Deux.  
  
"Why don't you let me wake her up?" he suggested.  
  
Deux flew from the room as fast as she could, not wanting to know what Aaron was going to do to Usagi, and most certainly not what Usagi was going to do to Aaron. Seconds later, there was a loud scream, a thump, another (more masculine) scream, and the sound of energy crackling as two bodies flew at top speed up the hall.  
  
She pumped up her speed in terror, and nearly yelped when Aaron (in his boxers) came careening down the hall with Usagi (clad only in a half- buttoned long-sleeve shirt and tiny cotton shorts) tearing after him looking furious. This game went on for several more minutes, until Deux found herself getting robbed of breath.  
  
Just before the moment that she would have been plowed over by the two, she was yanked into the relative safety of a room by Cinq, who watched Aaron and Usagi fly further up the hall. The advantages of having a vertical hall, Deux thought numbly, was that there was no ceiling, and if you were having a race, you could shoot out the top of the building into the City.  
  
  
  
  
  
He was gonna die! He was SO gonna die! Usagi screamed mentally. She had been having a nice, peaceful sleep, until she suddenly found a broomstick poking places that were off limits. She had opened her eyes to Aaron's leering grin, which was not fun. So, being a good sport, she decided that she would only kill him. She had reached for the remote control for his collar, but he had already stolen it. With these infuriating thoughts to fuel her thrill of the hunt, she unwittingly bumped her speed up several mph's. Kill, kill, kill, kill! She chanted over and over.  
  
Of course, since we all know that this being a house built somewhere in the middle of Hell, and that, well, Usagi *is* Usagi, nothing good can ever directly happen to her. These facts all being true, and coming into play, Usagi chased Aaron into a room, and hit a brick wall. She collided with a thud, and then tumbled backwards onto her ass. A scowl leapt to her face as she craned her head up to look at the evil brick wall.  
  
It was wearing camouflage pants, black combat boots, a white tank-top, and was slapping a whip against his palm. The brick wall was also wearing a slightly insane smile as it grinned down at Usagi, who decided it would be a good time to scoot towards the door. The brick wall reached down and effectively cut off any way to escape by lifting her up by the front of her shirt.  
  
Usagi gulped. "Tee, hee, hee.nice to meet you again, Mr. Wall."  
  
The brick wall's grin widened a fraction of an inch. "Why hello again, Miss Usagi Tsukino. I never would have imagined seeing *you* here!"  
  
Alarms went off in the blonde's head, and her ever-ready evil-bitch wall came crashing down around her mind. "Butt SHIT! I'll bet you knew damn straight that I was assigned to this fucking strike team!"  
  
Bricky gave her a little shake that rattled her brains against her skull pleasantly. "Actually, no, I didn't. I was looking forward to Antoine giving you teners over to me for additional training, but on Earth I can only to so much to the humans that I'm forced to associate with. But here in Hell, I can do whatever I damn well want to the poor, pathetic demons under me. Believe me, Tsukino, this is a much more satisfying revenge."  
  
Usagi rolled her eyes. "Oh, fabulous. My life just keeps on getting better and better. So, Bricky, how long have you been out of the loop?"  
  
Kane's fingers twitched, like he wanted to move upwards to her throat, but (luckily) he stayed put. "I'm due for reincarnation in 349 years, 7 months, 3 weeks, and a day at 1:16 PM. Also.Tsukino?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"My name is not Bricky, and you will never call me that ever again. Understood?"  
  
Complete silence. Kane shook her again, attempting to gain a response from the girl who was looking a lot like a rag doll. Total silence. He shook her again, and kept on until he finally noticed that the other six were in the room. Growling, he dropped the blonde, picked her back up, and shoved her roughly in the direction of her chair. A guy that looked a lot like Deux (her twin---Uno?) caught her before she toppled over, and deposited her in a chair.  
  
"Merci!" she chirped brightly.  
  
He shrugged. "Il n'y a pas de quoi."  
  
She glared at him for beating her in French, glared at Deux for being related to him, and then glared at Drill Sgt. Bricky Wall Kane for just being alive. Or was he dead? Or was he like her, and just didn't have a soul anymore? Looking at his angry face as he just dared her to say something, she spontaneously decided to satisfy her curiosity.  
  
"Oi! Bricky! Are you dead?  
  
He glared at her furiously for saying the hated nickname, and then grudgingly answered her. "Of course I am, bitch. What else would I be?"  
  
Usagi glared at him. "Number one: I'm a demon and I'm not dead. I just don't have a soul. Number two: the only people that are allowed to call me a bitch are the teners and James. Oh, and everyone that's trying to kill me, in which case you may call me bitch."  
  
Uno leaned over to her. "Why'd you call him Bricky?"  
  
"Because he's a brick. Run into him sometime. God, he knocked every goddamned particle of air out of me. Jesus.oh, my god. Is he going to turn us into brick walls too? That's not good! I need my soft, cushy shoulders so people can sleep a good night's sleep! Aw, damn it!"  
  
Kane glared at her. "Problems?"  
  
Usagi was about to voice her opinion loud and clear, when the evil man barked out something. There was a suffocating burst of magic, and then when Usagi was done having a heart attack, she rounded angrily on Kane, who was smiling smugly.  
  
"Just what the hell do you think you were---"  
  
"Silence, Usagi."  
  
To her dismay, she suddenly found that not a word could escape her lips. By the look on her face, she was flinging some wall scorching profanities at the smiling man. Uno found himself wishing he could hear her. It would be nice to know some new insults.  
  
Meanwhile, Usagi's mind was working furiously. The mother fucking bastard had obviously cast a spell of obedience on them. How far, however, did it extend? Was it valid only in his presence? Did it quit working only when lessons were over? What the hell had he done?  
  
"ATTENTION!"  
  
There was that whooshing sound, and every person in the room was standing at attention. Kane smiled happily. Oh the joy of it all. The best part, of course, was watching while Usagi thought furiously about finding some way to counteract what he had done. That was an admirable trait. It never paid to be under someone's complete rule. The others had just accepted it, like it was a part of their training. That was not good. What if he was actually some kind of psychotic freak bent on the destruction of the world? Usagi would probably find a way to get around it, so he would then have six well trained demons at his disposal. Shrugging slightly, he set them to their first tasks.  
  
  
  
  
  
"I think," Usagi said finally, "that for the first time in my entire life, I am feeling the all consuming need to be in bed before eleven o'clock. This is disturbing, but all the same.g'night. Have a nice---" she yawned hugely, "sleepy time. Oh God, sleepy time. Sleep. Bed. Oh, dear God," she murmured fervently.  
  
Deux nodded, and flew tiredly up to her room (which was three rooms above Usagi's). Aaron threw himself into his room, up one and on the other side of the hall, while the older people flew into their rooms normally, and then crashed into bed without even changing.  
  
Usagi glared evilly at her Happy Bunny poster (the one with the smiling blue bunny holding a knife [the poster says "Cute but psycho. Things even out."]) She drug herself over to the bathroom, yanked her pajamas on, brushed her teeth, tried to fix her hair but found out she had no reflection, and went back to bed.  
  
  
  
  
  
That was the way the next few weeks went (besides the few insane happenings in Hell thanks to Usagi, Deux, Aaron, and Amos, and up on Earth we have to give credit to Mary, Lorraine, and Bleac. Add a few random shootings from a crazed Gundam pilot and love songs by a princess to that certain crazed pilot, we have ourselves a party.) Finally, however, much to the horror and joy of the demons and humans (respectively), August 21st came. The day before the strike team went out to strike, and the day of the Camp Happy Pines Talent Show. God save us all.  
  
  
  
  
  
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! BITCHES AND BASTARDS! WHORES AND----ACK!"  
  
Lorraine was yanked uncaringly away from the microphone, to be replaced by a smiling, cheerful Miss Relena Peacecraft. She was a glaring icon of pastel among harsh blacks, reds, and purples. Ugh. Relena waved daintily and smiled kindly.  
  
"Hello one and all! Today we have gathered for a declaration of our individuality! Ladies and gentlemen, we have gathered here today for our annual Camp Happy Pines Talent Show! First up, Cabin #1!"  
  
She began clapping, and carried on grimly when no one else seemed to bother. Their "show" was over in about ten minutes. They put on "Hamlet" and did it backwards, fast. The audience thought it was pretty funny, but Relena frankly didn't see the humor. Cabins number 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 all did "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe, but as a play. Once again, the audience thought it was hilarious. Cabin number seven and eight did one together. They sang "Happy Holidays, Bastard" by Blink 182. Everyone laughed, even though Relena (and poor Quatre!) were severely tempted to cover their ears. Cabin 9 sang "Shut Up", also by Blink 182. Once again, Relena and Quatre were emotionally scarred for life. The blonde boy knew that he was going to be needing some serious therapy one day. Finally Cabin Ten's turn came.  
  
A pale faced girl with lavender hair walked slowly up the stairs to the stage, not showing any of the trademark arrogance, confidence, or enthusiasm that were expected of the Cabin Teners. She walked towards the mike and slid it out of the stand. People in the audience were starting to whisper, but then she smiled and spoke.  
  
"Okay, guys. My name is Lexie Montgomery, and I'm from Edmonton, Canada. You probably don't need to know that, but here's my point. When we're shopping for something that's fucking hard to find, we always say that it's left of the middle. Left of the middle is a place where everything's crazy, and everything makes sense---sort of. It makes enough sense that you know what you need to do, but not enough that you are able to do it. So you're sitting there stuck with everything else that's crazy and lost, left of the middle. That was half of my point right there, and here's the other half: a smart woman named Natalie Imbruglia sang a song called "Left of the Middle", and today I'm going to sing it for y'all."  
  
The lights went out, and a single spotlight beamed down on the girl, who was grinning up at the place where the lights were being worked. Relena looked that direction and wanted to die. Lorraine Dupont and Bleac Jones were wearing nothing but their bikini tops, short-shorts, and flip-flops. But that wasn't totally what made her want to cry. What made her feel tearful was the fact that the light-men were passed out at their feet, and the two girls were very happily manning the lights. Behind the hyperventilating princess, Lexie was beginning to sing.  
  
"End of the third round/ as I put the phone down/ chasing the same lines/ over the old ground/ I'm pushing zero/ where is my hero/ he's out there somewhere/ left of the middle/ and your world falls down/ and you're there calling out/ but it's something I can't say/ though it seems the only way/ but it's a game that I can't play---not today/ I got my ticket/ and I got a straight road/ but I'm passing the same signs/ over and over/ and my world falls down/ and I'm there calling out/ but it's something I can't say/ though it seems the only way/ but it's a game that I can't play---not today/ I need to tell you/ trying to get through/ it's not always easy/ left of the middle"  
  
There was silence for about three seconds, and then Bleac let out an ear- piercing whistle which set off everyone else. Lexie blushed and swept a bow. Lorraine grabbed a---bottle?---and ran with Bleac (who was also carrying something) onto the stage. They grabbed Lexie's hands and raised them. Then Bleac and Lorraine tore open their packages to reveal two bottles of champagne. The redhead handed a bottle to Lexie, and on the count of three they opened them with a bang, spraying the liquid all over the audience.  
  
At the same time, Trunks, Goten, Ranma, and Nick let their champagne fly. Grumbling to herself, Tsuzumi hit the play button on the hidden CD player that had been cleverly worked into the stage. The CD titled "Ultimate Party Mix" blared out at the Talent-Show-Now-Turned-Party. The cheering started out anew, and Lorraine, Bleac, and Lexie threw themselves off the stage for some serious crowd-surfing. The Parker quadruplets (they were actually triplets, but they had a friend who looked identical to them, so the four turned into a quadruplet) jumped up onstage and began dancing.  
  
Relena could do nothing but stare at how quickly the teners could turn an innocent talent show into a raging party. She thought dumbly that they'd make good politicians.. Suddenly an arm was thrown across her shoulder, and she turned her head to stare right into the twinkling brown eyes that had started this whole thing. Lorraine. The black girl sighed happily.  
  
"Isn't this great, Lena? God, Duo's a good dancer.. Now if you're going to go blaming someone for this, don't blame me. This was entirely Bunny's fault."  
  
"Entirely," the redhead echoed from her other side.  
  
Relena twisted away from them and put her fists on her hips. "How so? Tsukino Usagi isn't even here! She has had no part in this whatsoever!"  
  
Bleac laughed, and whapped her on the back. "Whatever, 'Lena. When Bunny heard about the talent show, she drew up some plans to make this a killer party. Totally not my fault she's a genius demon."  
  
That's when Relena lost her temper. "What is WRONG with you people? Usagi is NOT a demon! She is NOT on a strike team designed to destroy a malevolent superpower! She is NOT a genius! She is NOT some special superhero! SHE IS JUST A NORMAL GIRL!"  
  
"Whatever," Bleac and Lorraine said together as they tossed a shrieking Relena into the pit of people.  
  
It was the most hilarious sight to see her body-surfing for the first and last time, if the princess had anything to do with it. Which she didn't. God Almighty, what a day. What a day.  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Usagi sat next to Amber silently, sitting on a boulder watching the fire- spirits dance. She shifted, and swung her legs over the edge of the precipice. The two women were sitting at Hell's Edge, which was the place were the actual city ended, and Hell dropped off into a bottomless pit of fire. Every night they came to watch the spirits dance their timeless, passionate dance. They usually talked, or Amber taught her spells. But tonight they just sat and thought.  
  
Usagi sighed, suddenly tired of all the thought. "Amber, do you think I'm going to survive this?"  
  
The witch turned her head and fastened her unreal green eyes on Usagi's blue ones. "No," she said with great conviction.  
  
The tiny spark of hope dropped from Usagi's face, and her whole body slumped. "That's what I thought," she said quietly, "Everyone's been telling me that I'm going to die.. No one will survive. But the thing is, no one will tell me why."  
  
Amber picked up a fistful of the black dirt and let it fall from her closed fist. "You're afraid, and you're going to die."  
  
Usagi stared at her. "That's it? That's why I'm going to die? Well whoop- de-do! What a joy! Now, if you had told me this *earlier* I might have been able to do something about it! So why the hell are you telling me the day before I die?"  
  
"Because there is something you can do to change the fate that has been laid out for you. What they say will happen is not necessarily what will happen. If you have the courage to change it, of course."  
  
Usagi glared at her, the peace the previous moments had brought forgotten. "And what the hell does that mean?"  
  
Amber looked at her in annoyance, obviously vexed that Usagi hadn't understood. "I mean that I know a way that you can become much stronger than you already are. But it is very dangerous. If you succeed, you gain great powers, and a total understanding of anything you wish. It you fail.." Amber shrugged and gestured at the dancing spirits. The meaning was clear.  
  
A total determination filled Usagi. She was going to kill that little bitch if it was the last thing she did! There was no way some stuck-up, bitchy, ugly, crackwhore was going to kill the great Usagi Tsukino! Usagi suddenly realized why she was so angry with everyone expecting her to die. It was just that she was sure as hell not ready to die. The idea amazed her beyond all reason.  
  
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. I just want that fucking bitch out of my goddamn life! Now tell me what I can do!"  
  
Amber gave her a look, leaned forwards slightly, and angled her index finger downwards so that it was pointing in the general "down" direction. Usagi looked at her blankly. Amber gave her another look, and then jabbed her finger downwards again.  
  
"Into the fire. You need to abandon fear and leap into the canyon. There, if you are worthy, the sage that abides there will tell you what you must do. But, alas, it is suppertime. Aaron will come here looking for you in one minute, and he will find you digging in the ground. Alone. Fare well, Usagi. Remember, by losing all, you gain all."  
  
Usagi glared balefully at the spot Amber had previously occupied, and crossed her arms. She'd be damned if she was going to dig in any dirt! The blonde sat with her arms crossed angrily for a moment. Then she sighed, and laid down. Five seconds later, the ugliest frog she had ever seen in her life hopped onto her chest. It took a moment for her mind to register what her mind was seeing, but then her reactions were very clear. She screamed, threw it away from herself, and then shrieked again when it almost fell into the canyon. It glared at her, and then hopped toward her.  
  
"Ah-HA! You're a Princess, that I can see clearly. Perhaps the daughter of the Devil himself?"  
  
Usagi shook her head. No, froggie, I'm the daughter of the Wicked Witch of the West, informally known as Queen Serenity. "I, um, guess I'm Princess Serenity."  
  
The toad stared at her, and then burst into nervous laughter. "You're joking, right?"  
  
"No."  
  
He stopped laughing abruptly, and stared at her again. Harder, this time. Then he nodded. "Yes, I can see it. You look a lot like your mother, although the resemblance ends there. You are very obviously two very different people, seeing as you're in Abbadon. Anyhow, would you kiss me? I'm getting rather tired of being a toad. I'm really a very handsome prince."  
  
Usagi rolled her eyes, and leaned down to kiss the toad. Sure enough, with a flash of magic he turned into a very handsome prince. The dramatic effect, however, was somewhat ruined when he jumped forwards, reaching for her breasts. Without even thinking she shoved him backwards sending him tumbling into the canyon. She kneeled and winced when she heard him scream in pain.  
  
"Oops," she muttered.  
  
Seconds later, a brand new fire spirit rose from the pit, joining in their dace. Guess the sage counseled his ass into the fire. But did it counsel EVERYTHING?  
  
She dug her fingers into the dirt, ready to throw some into the fire to see what would happen. Would the sage counsel a grain of dirt on its fears and hidden powers? Usagi was interrupted mid-task by Aaron coming into the clearing and clearing his throat.  
  
"Um, Sept-chan, if you could bring yourself away from your happy digging, it's dinner time."  
  
She cringed when she realized Amber's prediction had come true, and then cringed again when she discovered that if she left the edge of the Canyon, she would never come back. So she stood, gave Aaron a sweet smile, and took a step back. His eyes narrowed.  
  
"Sept, what are you doing?"  
  
"Well," she explained, "I am quite possibly committing suicide. But I could also be getting a brand new crap-load of kick ass power to kill the little bitch with. See you around, Q."  
  
And with that, she stepped backwards and fell into the canyon, filled with a confidence that was misinterpreted by her long, terrified scream. Aaron screamed in response, but then she hit the flames and didn't know anything else.  
  
~*~  
  
Sapphire eyes opened and focused dimly on the face in front of her. Sky- Eyes reached out with a hand made of fire, and then looked up. Above it, others like it were spiraling upwards to join in a wild dance that made her heart sing with joy. She began to float upwards, wanting to join the dance, when a voice sounded inside of her. Don't go, it said. If you leave now, you lose. You lose, and everyone dies, it said urgently. Sky- Eyes didn't know who everyone was, but the voice sounded so certain that she obeyed.  
  
~Hello Sky-Eyes. What brings you here?~  
  
Sky-Eyes tried to bring back some semblance of a thought, but everything kept slipping away, like water, or liquid fire. She grabbed for a thought, and then held it fast. The voice had said something. It had said a word. Only one.  
  
~Usagi.~ Sky-Eyes said. The word wasn't a word at all. It was a stream of fire that spilled from its mouth. With that word, thought came flooding back to her. Her name was Usagi Tsukino, and she was here to become stronger.  
  
~My name is Usagi Tsukino, and I have come to be stronger.~  
  
The face before her looked amused. ~Have you, really?~  
  
Fire-Usagi nodded and moved closer. ~I need strength. I need to be able to defeat Liko Mia tomorrow.~  
  
~Is that all?~  
  
Usagi hesitated, and then shook her head. ~No.~  
  
~No?~ it echoed.  
  
~I came also out of curiosity. I heard of this place, and wanted to see.~  
  
The face actually laughed. ~My child.. Have you any idea what this place is?~  
  
Usagi shook her head instantly. ~I haven't a clue where we are. All I know is that it's very fiery.~  
  
A flaming hand reached out and touched her cheek. ~This is a place only the very brave, or the very foolish come to. I call this place Abyss, but I've heard people above call this Hell's Edge. This is a place where you either lose all, or gain all. What have you come to gain?~  
  
~Strength.~  
  
~Strength?~  
  
~Courage.~  
  
~Ah..~  
  
~Confidence.~  
  
~What have you come to lose?~  
  
~Fear.~  
  
~Fear? Of your enemies?~  
  
~Fear of myself.~  
  
~Child, here is my ruling. Strength; you have. Courage; you have. Confidence; you have. Do you believe me?~  
  
~No.~  
  
~Ah.. Here is my offer to you, child of the sky. Will you gain all, or lose all?~  
  
Usagi smiled in jubilation and prepared to gain everything, but the same small voice that had given her name back cautioned her. The sage had said that she had everything she wished to gain. So what should so do? Suddenly Amber's voice came to her. "By losing all, you gain all." Amber had never steered her wrong before..  
  
~I will lose all.~ she said slowly.  
  
~You choose to lose?~  
  
~Yes.~  
  
He placed his palms together, and bowed his head. A tiny pinprick of light glowed on his forehead, and then shot into Usagi's soul like a lightning bolt. She felt a supreme, wrenching pain, like a part of her was being ripped away. Usagi was sure that she screamed. Then suddenly it was over, and she felt the flooding of smoldering power in her heart. The blonde drew a deep breath, and then another. She looked up. The sage was smiling at her.  
  
~I give to you the knowledge of magic. I also give you the knowledge that you are the first to be worthy in the span of a dragon's lifetime. Which, child, is a very, very long time. Go back to Abbadon. Your friends are worried for you. I think,~ he said smiling, ~that they will be surprised. Remember this: if you do your best, what happens will also be for the best. Do not doubt my word. Speed to your journey, sky-eyes.~  
  
A flash of magic lit the surrounding area, and Usagi rocketed out of the canyon like a geyser. She shot past the anxious eyes of the team and into the air. She whooped, did a triple flip, and landed. Everyone stared at her. She bowed. Then Deux marched up to her and shoved her. Hard.  
  
"What the HELL do you think you were doing you goddamned psycho? You could have gotten yourself killed!"  
  
Usagi smiled, and raised a finger. "Actually, I wouldn't have died," she said pointing to the spirits that were now staring at them. When they saw the demons looking at them, they began dancing, but they kept shooting black looks at Usagi, the spirit who had gotten away. Deux shot her an evil look, saying clearly what she thought about Usagi's comment.  
  
Kane glowered at her. "What *did* you think you were doing? What did you do? That was pretty hair-brained, even for you."  
  
Usagi glared at all of them. "I don't think I'll tell you!" she announced.  
  
Everyone glared back at her, and she gulped. "Because," she continued, "I have no idea what I did. I forgot. There was something about.um.a guy, lots of fire, and voices. I'm serious! Aaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeee!!!!!!"  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Tokyo:  
  
  
  
  
  
Rachel followed Luna and Gohan mutely, wondering what her life had become. Why, everything had changed when they had moved to Tokyo. There was this Usagi business, and then the horrible feeling about her sister that wasn't all together comfortable. And then, of course, there were these two strange people that were leading her up a street. They turned up a walkway, and knocked on a door. The Tsukino door, she thought reverently. The door swung open, and a blue haired girl about her age looked out. Sighting Luna, her face lit with happiness, and then shock.  
  
"Luna! What are you doing? And is that Mia?" she asked, her voice lowering dangerously.  
  
Luna waved a hand. "Why would I bring her here? No, this is her sister, Rachel, known as Rani. May we come in?"  
  
The girl blushed and opened the door further, allowing them entry. Luna led Gohan and Rachel into a living room where there was a huge group of people sitting on the floor, talking. Everything became silent when they saw Rachel. A black haired girl stood, violet eyes dark with anger.  
  
"What is *she* here for, Luna?"  
  
Rachel stepped forwards. "I am not Liko Mia. I'm her sister, Liko Rani. You can call me Rachel, though. Now, if it's not too much to ask, what is going on?"  
  
The black haired girl had just opened her mouth to speak when the front door was flung open, and a sandy-haired man burst into the room, followed shortly by an aqua-haired woman. The man stomped into the room and glared at everyone.  
  
"Queen Serenity is naming Liko Mia her heir," he announced. "I say we kill her before she gets the power. You!" he snarled, spinning on the shocked Rachel.  
  
Rachel jumped back, and Luna stepped forwards. "Everyone, silence! Now, introduce yourselves to Liko Rani, called Rachel. Your *full* titles."  
  
The violet haired girl scowled. "I don't think this is a good idea, Luna! She could be Mia's spy! Are you willing to risk us like that?"  
  
"Just do it," Luna growled dangerously.  
  
"Fine! Watashi wa Hino Rei, also known as Sailor Mars."  
  
"Kino Makoto; Sailor Jupiter."  
  
"Anio Minako; Sailor Venus and Goddess of Love and Beauty!"  
  
"Mizuno Ami; Sailor Mercury," the blue haired girl said laughing.  
  
"Ten'ou Haruka; Sailor Uranus."  
  
"Kaioh Michiru; Sailor Neptune."  
  
"Tomoe Hotaru; Sailor Saturn."  
  
"Tsukino Ikuko, Usagi's mother."  
  
"Tsukino Kenji, her father."  
  
"Luna, advisor to the late Queen Serenity and the Princess Serenity, formerly Sailor Moon."  
  
"Son Gohan, um, friend of the family."  
  
"Liko Rani, sister to Mia, and very clueless. I only have one question, if it's not too much. What does Tsukino Usagi have to do with everything?"  
  
Everyone exchanged a look, and then Hotaru began to speak. "Well, Rani, it's like this. A few months back, there was a fire. In this fire, Usagi was blinded. These Inner Scouts attacked her, stole the Crystal (which is what gives Sailor Moon her power), and appointed Liko Mia as the new Sailor Moon. Usagi was infuriated, and went bad. Somehow she lost her soul, regained her sight, and was shipped off to summer camp. Big things are happening over there, and that's just about all we know."  
  
"Would you like me to enlighten you?" a new, Australian voice asked.  
  
Everyone yelped and spun to face the newcomer. He was very cute, and had this crooked smile that made the girls' knees weak. They all nodded dumbly, willing to do anything to make him talk some more.  
  
"Y'see, I'm the reason Bunny's a demon. You, Tsukinos? You died in the fire. I came to Usagi and told her that I'd bring you back to life if she sold 25% of her soul. She did. A few months later she sold another quarter to get her sight back. Every time she sold part of her soul, we invested it into Abbadon, which, basically, is Hell. So she was now half- demon. She went off to camp, died, and became totally demonic. She began training with a shady character, and got herself kidnapped. She was unkiddnaped shortly afterwards, and then put through a rigorous training by her human instructor, James Antoine. Then her trainer (demonic) came to her and informed her that she was on a strike team. This strike team was to go to Tokyo and kill Liko Mia, which suited Usagi just fine.  
  
"See, according to Hunter, there are a few great superpowers. One is Son Goku. One is God. One is Satan. One is Usagi. One is Liko Mia. God, Satan, and Goku weren't going to be challenging anyone any time soon, which left the inevitable confrontation to Mia and Usagi. The only problem is that Usagi is terrified of her power, and Mia is embracing it wholeheartedly. A few minutes ago Usagi threw herself into a pit of fire, and had her fear taken away even though she doesn't know that. Even better, Liko Mia is getting the Lunar powers which will mean that this fight will be one to watch on a big screen. And that, dear people, is the whole story."  
  
Rachel touched his arm softly. "Usagi's going to try to kill my sister?"  
  
The demon looked at her sharply. "Are you going to stop her?"  
  
Rachel hesitated, and then bowed her head. What was she to do? Mia was her sister, but then again, Mia didn't love Rachel, let alone *like* her. But she was her sister. But Usagi was clearly the wronged party. But what about family loyalty? What family loyalty?  
  
"No. I won't stop Usagi from killing Mia." The words were like a death sentence to Rachel's heart.  
  
Bye-bye, birdie, she thought numbly as she sat down next to the Senshi to discuss battle plans. 


	13. The Last Goddamn Bit of Good Riddance Yo...

Good Riddance  
  
Chapter 13  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Okay, this is so not cool. We have all the goddamned power we need, and we're driving a blue mom-mobile?"  
  
Tres shot her an irritated glare. "Listen up Sept. This is the only car I have available. So deal with it!"  
  
The little blonde's glare soured to match the woman's. "But we're an hour outside of Tokyo! Why couldn't we have just popped in and killed her?"  
  
"Because," the Dr. said patiently after they had gone through the conversation several times already, "this was the closest portal. There has been no large amount of power used in Tokyo, so we had to find the next greatest place with residual power, which is where we are right now."  
  
Usagi crossed her arms, refusing to step foot inside the car. "Bull SHIT there's no power in Tokyo! I used to be Sailor Moon, I think I'd know! It's all over the fucking city! I can teleport wherever I want to!"  
  
"Okay then, teleport your little ass inside, so we can go!" Cinq snapped angrily.  
  
Usagi glared at her, and then teleported herself into the car right in- between Uno and Deux, who were looking understandably shocked that she had appeared out of nowhere. The blonde looked like she had just eaten something she did NOT like, or like she had her own personal rain cloud that she was not inclined to share with anyone. Deux patted her on the back.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
Usagi gave Deux the worst glare ever seen on Earth, and bared her teeth at the girl. "Shut the fuck up before I rip your goddamn head off."  
  
The brown haired girl scowled at her and then whispered furiously in her brother's ear. He shot a look at Usagi, and then nodded solemnly. This conversation went on for quite a while, until Usagi fired a small ki blast at the two off them, setting off a small explosion. Cinq yelled at Usagi from the driver's seat, Usagi leaned forwards and jerked the wheel, got yelled at, sat back down, and tried to fry a hole through the back of Cinq's chair. Aaron pulled one of her pigtails, she set his hand on fire and got yelled at again.  
  
"WATCH OUT! WATCH OUT! THERE'S A DOG IN THE ROAD!" Usagi suddenly screamed.  
  
Cinq looked around frantically, and then yanked the wheel hard to the right. Everyone in the car was screaming, and still screaming when the car spun to a halt. The woman jumped out of the car and searched the road. Her eyes narrowed with the passing of every second. She finally turned back to the car and looked at Usagi, who was playing BS with Aaron (who was losing) and Deux.  
  
"Usagi, are you sure there was a dog in the road?"  
  
The blonde gave her a blank look. "What are you talking about, Drain-O?"  
  
"There is no dog on the road."  
  
"What dog?"  
  
Cinq slammed her fist into her chair. "I am so sick of you! First you have the worst attitude I have ever seen on a strike team, secondly you are unbelievably arrogant, and thirdly you're playing pranks like this!"  
  
"See why everyone's so eager to get rid of me?"  
  
Cinq screeched in frustration and got back into the car. The second before Cinq turned the key, Usagi piped up.  
  
"Wait, wait, wait. Who wants to ride in a convertible?"  
  
"ME!" Deux, Aaron, and Uno yelled enthusiastically.  
  
Usagi smirked at Cinq, and got out of the car. She reached into her pocket and produced a small capsule. Everyone leaned in. She ran away from everyone, and then threw the capsule about five feet away from her. There was a whoosh of purple smoke, and then, before their very eyes, a shining, brand new, red BMW convertible was sitting before them. Aaron let out a whoop and jumped into the driver's seat.  
  
"Gimme the keys, Sept!"  
  
Usagi threw the keys at him and dragged Deux into the backseat. Of course, they didn't *sit* in the backseat. They sat up on the back, where the cover folded down. After all, demons can't be killed *that* easily. Uno got into the passenger seat, and nodded at Cinq (who was looking very irritated).  
  
Cinq glared at the younger kids who were much better looking in their sweeter looking car and gunned the engine. It started off, and Aaron zoomed after it. Once they were going pretty fast along the highway, Usagi leaned in-between Aaron and Uno and popped her "Ten Years and Running" by MxPx. "Punk Rawk Show" blared out of the high-tech stereo, and Usagi began to laugh. Deux leaned over to her.  
  
"WHO GAVE THIS TO YOU?" Deux yelled over the music.  
  
"TRUNKS BRIEFS! IT WAS A GOING AWAY PRESENT!"  
  
"TRUNKS BRIEFS!? AS IN THE SON OF BULMA BRIEFS, OWNER OF CAPSULE CORPS?"  
  
Usagi considered, and then nodded. "YEAH!  
  
Deux burst out laughing. "SWEET!"  
  
The happy blonde demon looked over at her new friend and grinned. "I KNOW! DOESN'T LIFE KICK ASS?"  
  
"YOU KNOW IT! WE AIN'T GOT NO PLACE TO GO! SO LET'S GO TO THE PUNK RAWK SHOW!"  
  
"DARLING TAKE ME BY THE HAND," Usagi sang.  
  
"WE'RE GONNA SEE A PUNK RAWK BAND! THERE'S NO USE FOR TV SHOWS! RADIO, RODEO! I WANNA GET INTO THE CROWD, I WANNA HEAR IT PLAYED REAL LOUD! YEAH!!!!!"  
  
  
  
  
  
"You are obviously not paying attention to me," Usagi said, nervously backing away from the necklace, "but I'll repeat myself, out of the goodness of my heart. I DON'T WANT PINK HAIR!"  
  
"Hold her down, Dr.!" Tres yelled.  
  
Usagi shrieked as Cinq and the Dr. captured her arms, and Tres advanced on her with the amulet that was going to give her pink hair and red eyes. Just like Chibiusa! Noooooooo! DAMN KANE'S SPELL!  
  
Cinq leaned down to her ear. "Consider this payback, bitch."  
  
Tres slipped the choker around Usagi's neck and locked it, instantaneously turning Usagi's blonde hair pink, and her blue eyes red. Tears welled up in those big red eyes, and the pink haired girl burst into tears.  
  
"I look just like the little spore grown-up!" she wailed. "I hate you all!"  
  
Aaron patted her on the back. "Well, look at it on the bright side. You're still cute!"  
  
Usagi let down her pigtails and finger-combed the shoulder-length hair. "You don't understand! I knew a tiny miniature me, all the way down to being a total BITCH, and I look like the way she would have looked if I hadn't erased her! This is horrible! This is her way of punishing me for not marrying Mamoru and having her! I always knew there was a legitimate reason why I hated her!"  
  
The Dr. and Tres exchanged a look, and then Cinq shrugged. They let her go, and Usagi threw herself at Tres.  
  
"Take it off! Take is off! Please!"  
  
She looked at the blonde---er, pinky in annoyance and handed her a credit card. "Take Aaron, Deux, and Uno shopping. That will occupy you children for a while, I hope."  
  
Aaron and Uno picked her up and dragged her to the car. "Shape up," Aaron said perkily, "at least we get to go shopping! And you shouldn't let yourself be seen like this in public!"  
  
Usagi sighed and hopped into the backseat. Deux slid in beside her, and Uno got into his customary seat. Aaron pulled out of the parking lot, and then zoomed down the street, ignoring the speed limit signs. They were finally stopped at a red light (only when Usagi and Deux screamed), and Aaron smiled ecstatically.  
  
"I love this car," he said passionately.  
  
Usagi giggled, and then looked out at the person next to them. And gaped. Then a slow, evil smile spread across her face. She leaned over and waved at the man on the motorcycle.  
  
"Yoo-hoo! Papa! Papa!" Getting no response, she tried again. "Mamo-chan! Mamo-chan!"  
  
The black haired man looked over, saw what looked to be his daughter and did a double-take. He blinked once, and then rubbed his eyes. Usagi giggled evilly and waved again.  
  
"Hi Papa!"  
  
"Ch-Chibiusa?"  
  
Laughing inside, she nodded happily. "Hi Papa! I came back to visit you and Mommy!"  
  
He looked like he had just wet himself. "Oh, really? Where is Mia? She is your mother, right?"  
  
Usagi looked at him strangely. "Who's Mia, Papa? Whoever she is, she's not my mommy. MY mama's name is Usagi, as you should know. Unless you've been cheating on her," "Chibiusa" said dangerously.  
  
Mamoru gulped. "Of course not! I love your mother very much."  
  
Then the light turned green, and Aaron shot off, with Usagi yelling over her shoulder at Mamoru, who was almost run over for not moving when the light turned green. Safely away from the man, Usagi burst into laughter. When Aaron parked in the mall parking lot, she was still laughing helplessly. He turned around to look at her.  
  
"What was that all about, Sept?"  
  
She giggled again. "Well, about a year ago that man and I were "in love". This little girl with pink hair and red eyes barged in on us, claiming to be our future daughter. When we broke up, that generally erased her from either of our lives. Muwahahahaha! So, if our future daughter mysteriously shows up, that would make him think that somehow he and I got back together. And since I didn't know who Mia was, that would mean that she's not in the future. So," she said smiling, "I have singe-handedly created a minor crisis. Life is good."  
  
Deux laughed and pulled her out of the car. "Round one goes to: Usagi Tsukino!"  
  
  
  
  
  
Mamoru dialed Rei's cell number with shaking fingers. The phone rang for a while, and then she finally picked up.  
  
"What?" she snapped.  
  
He wiped his forehead, and tried to calm himself. "I saw Chibiusa."  
  
"WHAT?" she yelled.  
  
"I SAW CHIBIUSA TODAY! SHE WAS SITTING IN A CONVERTIBLE AT A STOP LIGHT, AND SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHO MIA-KOI IS!"  
  
There was a whispered conversation on Rei's end of the phone, and then she came back. "Tell me very carefully what she looked like and who she was with."  
  
"Sure. She was wearing all black. Silver hoop earrings. No makeup. Um, she was with two Mexicans and a boy that looked and sounded American."  
  
Rei relayed his information to someone, and then she chuckled. "Thanks Mamo-baka. See ya."  
  
The violet haired girl pressed the Off button, and then cracked up. The demon, Amos (he decided not to leave because he thought Minako was cute), was smirking.  
  
"I'll bet she got a kick out of that."  
  
Rei laughed again, thinking about the little joke their bunny had played on the poor, clueless prince of Earth. "Poor Mamoru. He actually thought it was Chibiusa.."  
  
Rachel smiled. Usagi seemed to be the type of person who liked to play pranks on people. Rachel had a feeling that if she had gotten to know her, she would have liked the girl before this whole Mia thing happened. Rei and the others were laughing, and Haruka was sitting with her arm around Michiru looking smug. It was sort of a weird feeling.this close companionship. She was fairly certain no one else felt it. She certainly wasn't part of their group. How could she be, when she wasn't even a Senshi? But still, it was nice to know that there was at least on place where Mia couldn't hurt her. Only one, but it was still there. Smiling still, she shot a look at Luna, who was still staring at her intently. She couldn't take it anymore!  
  
"Why are you staring at me?" she asked abruptly.  
  
Luna started, and then frowned. "Because I recognize you. From the Silver Millennium. I think.I think you and Mia were twins even back then. Tell me, quickly! Which one of you is older?"  
  
Rachel blinked. "Well, I am. But only buy three minutes, so it never really mattered---"  
  
"Well it matters now. According to the Lunar laws of succession." she suddenly broke off, and then sagged. "Oh, damn. She's done it. She's gone and named Mia her heir. We're doomed," Luna said simply.  
  
"NEVER FEAR, FOR USAGI IS HERE!"  
  
"No!" a female voice cried out at the same time.  
  
"Too late," a masculine voice said in amusement.  
  
"I swear I hate that girl more everyday," the first voice muttered.  
  
"She's *your* problem!"  
  
"Why are we here again?" a new voice asked.  
  
A pink haired girl with red eyes marched into the room, followed by six other off looking people. None of which looked entirely pleased. The girl (obviously the most enthusiastic about everything) smiled and waved.  
  
"HI! I'm here for num-m-m-mber one: kick Mia's sorry little ass! Number two: help this dear old planet GET AN UGLY BITCH OUT OF IT'S FACE! And, most importantly, number three: BECAUSE I'M ON A KICK ASS SUGAR HIGH!"  
  
The very cute boy with spiky red hair and green eyes massaged his forehead. "Remind me never to give her cotton candy ever again, Uno, please."  
  
The other very cute Mexican boy nodded agreeably. "Sure. I'm hurt by all this too, you know."  
  
"You're not the only one," the other Mexican grumbled.  
  
"Oh, how sweet! Satan sent out seven little demons to slap me around a bit. I'm flattered."  
  
The laughter dropped from the seven's faces, leaving only hard surfaces. Usagi's face twisted with a hate so bitter, it made Rachel want to run. She and four others dropped into a crouch. Rei took a step forwards, ready to blast Mia into oblivion when a voice they had never heard before scorch Usagi's lips.  
  
"Catch me if you can!" she hissed.  
  
Then they were gone, and Mia with them. The two demons left behind were very systematically setting up several computers. The Mexican boy walked over to the TV and hooked a wire into it. Then he turned it on, and everyone stared as the five demons and Mia appeared on the screen. The Mexican gave the woman a thumbs up.  
  
"We're on, Cinq. It's show time!"  
  
  
  
  
  
"You don't seriously think you can beat me, do you?"  
  
Usagi glared at her, and then leaped into the air, followed by the other three demons. Following some cue that could not be seen or heard, they all fired one powerful blast at the smiling Mia. They hovered there for a moment, wondering if it had even effected her at all. Then the dust cleared, and they had their answer.  
  
They hadn't even touched Mia. The girl smiled at them, and then looked up at Usagi.  
  
"Oh, Usagi! Look at this! I have a brand new trick! Cosmic Moon Power!"  
  
Usagi watched with a sinking stomach, and she knew they weren't going to get out of this very well. Mia began to glow with a bloody red light. A small pinprick of light glimmered in front of her forehead, and Usagi threw herself at Aaron.  
  
"Get out of the way!" she screamed.  
  
Deux shot into the air right as the blast of high-powered energy shot right through the space where she had been seconds before. Tres looked insanely pissed right when Mia's attack ripped a hole through her chest. Deux screamed out and tried to fly for the falling demon, but Usagi shoved her out of the way and erected a shield around them just in time to partially block another attack. The two girls were blown back into a mountain. As they were falling backwards, Usagi twisted so that she took the brunt of the attack.  
  
She was slammed into the ground, and cried out in pain. Deux was thrown to the side, and landed head first. Aaron joined them in the dirt five seconds later. Usagi moaned, trying to ignore the full extent of her pain, and closed her eyes. Over and over again, she saw Mia's smirking face as Usagi was slammed against the mountain. Over and over. That smirk was replayed, magnified, and intensified each time Usagi saw it. An ugly, twisted thing rose in her breast, and she sat up painfully.  
  
"Whoever said hate was a bad thing was sooooo wrong," she said softly.  
  
The blonde pushed off the ground and rose into the air. Wincing at every brush of air against her damaged skin, she burst forwards, heading right towards the spot where Mia was undoubtedly polishing her fingernails. Usagi thought of nothing but every aspect of her life that Mia had ever ruined, and the hate in her heart grew, writhed, intensified, and then bloomed into a power that was fed directly from her soul. Spotting a small flash of silver below her, Usagi skidded to a halt, and then landed.  
  
Mia glanced up at the sound of Usagi's feet hitting the dirt, and then looked back at her nails. She smiled a pretty, cruel smile. "Hello again, dear Usagi. So you're still alive. I can't say that I'm pleased, but I am somewhat. satisfied that you didn't die. I am greatly anticipating your torture, and your death directly following that."  
  
Usagi adopted a smirk that no one but pure royalty could pull of. It was that smirk that said clearly that you were God, and no one could prove otherwise. "Mia, dear, I'm entirely overjoyed that my appearance is satisfactory to you, but here. Let me get you the number of someone who gives a damn about what you have to say. Because, frankly, I don't. Shall we dance?"  
  
Mia gripped the Crystal, and smirked semi-royally. "We shall. Cosmic Moon Power!"  
  
The larger attack screamed though the air, but Usagi batted it into the air with a flash of black energy. "Oh dear. Was that *all* you have? Really, Princess Serenity only has one trick. Various intensities of only one attack. Truly, it gets dull. Now let me show you a trick a little bird taught *me* recently."  
  
She closed her blue eyes, and before Mia could even take advantage of the opportunity, black fire ripped around her feet in a circle. An unseen wind lifted her blonde streamers up, and with a shout the fire roared into a towering column that crackled with red lightning. Inside, Usagi screamed in pain while huge bat-like wings tore from her shoulder-blades. A red demon's tail grew from her tailbone, and the black Japanese symbol for "chaos" flared into existence on her forehead. Her street clothes changed into a sailor fuku (surprisingly). It looked much like her Eternal fuku, except in red and black. The skirt was slightly shredded, which made her look like she had just come from an intense battle. The regular bow on her chest was instead a dull red jewel that throbbed with a disturbing black light, framed by what looked like several black and red ribbons interwoven together. She wore black ankle boots, and had strange looking tattoos up her arms. The sleeves of her fuku looked like they had been ripped off, and then lengthened, adding to the returning champion look. To add to the whole look, Usagi's eyes changed into a dark, almost black blue, flecked with red. Thin black streaks ran through her pigtails, giving her a punk look that she had never even dreamed of achieving. Her hair was still to her shoulders, which was also a bonus.  
  
The black fire vanished, leaving a slightly startled Usagi. Mia's expression was positively shocked. The "princess" had apparently not been expecting this certain twist in things. The brand new blonde senshi inspected herself in interest. A tiny, feral smile graced her lips.  
  
"Guess who I am?"  
  
Mia growled slightly, and held the Crystal to her chest. "Obviously someone that needs to be taken out. Senshi or no."  
  
Usagi smiled, advancing on Mia. "Even so. Humor me."  
  
The princess was finding herself backing away from this new Senshi. There was just something frightening about that certain fuku mixed with the smile Usagi was wearing. She said nothing.  
  
Usagi didn't cease her advancement. "Do you know what Chaos is?"  
  
"Evil," Mia replied promptly.  
  
"Wrong," Usagi said fiercely. "Chaos is just anything that isn't quite. correct. It covers evil, yes, but that does not mean that it is evil. Haven't you every been taught that magic is not evil? It is only evil by the way its user wields it. Of course Chaos has been used for evil. I've taken down some of them myself. But here's the thing. For Chaos to be used properly, it needs a keeper. This "Keeper" duty fell to a Princess. This Princess' mother was terrified of the power her baby had, and so locked it away deep within her baby's heart. For all of that baby's life, she was scared away from her magic, shoving away the raw power," Usagi drawled, relishing the word on her lips.  
  
"So the Chaotic powers had to be passed to someone else, temporarily. This person couldn't handle it, and tried to kill the true Keeper. Well, like it or not, one day that Keeper finally got a slap in the ass and figured out just who the hell she was. And here she stands before you. Allow me to introduce myself," Usagi said, giving Mia a mock bow.  
  
"Sailor Chaos. Completely not at your service. You know what the best thing about this form is?"  
  
Chaos's fingers tightened around air, and then suddenly there was a thin, lethal looking energy sword in her hands. She moved both hands to grip it, and then looked up at Mia, who was looking terrified.  
  
"The speed," she said, teleporting right in front of Mia.  
  
"And the absolute," she paused, and stabbed her sword into Mia's belly.  
  
"Power," she finished, letting the blade fade away.  
  
Mia's hands went to her belly, and stared in semi-shock at the blood flowing from the wound. Her eyes went to Chaos' and she shuddered. Falling to her knees, she tried to keep the blood from spilling even more.  
  
"You're a monster," she whispered brokenly. "And I still.."  
  
"Hate me?" Chaos asked coolly. "Aw, I feel so unloved now. Say your goodbyes, Liko."  
  
With one well aimed blast, Chaos rid herself of the one that had been plaguing her mind ever since she had ruined a certain blonde's life. Even if it was for the better, Chaos told herself. Mia shouldn't have been messing where the water was too deep. She pulled off her finger-gloves and picked up a pinch of Mia's ashes. Smirking slightly, she tossed it behind her shoulder, and rubbed her foot in the rest of it; crushing all the power sources.  
  
Chaos turned around and stepped softly over to Tres' fallen body. Sighing softly, she knelt and hefted the woman into her arms. Struggling desperately not to get all teary about the kitten fearing woman, she lifted off into the air and flew over in the direction of the Dr.'s hideout. She found it in the guise of a large, bright blue tent. Smiling, she touched down and walked through the flapping doors and deposited Tres gently on the floor. The Dr. looked up in surprise, and then looked hard at Chaos, who smiled roguishly.  
  
"Like my costume?" she purred.  
  
The Dr.'s cheeks flamed, and he hurriedly went over to Tres. Seeing the hole in her chest, he looked inquiringly at Chaos, who nodded sadly.  
  
"Yeah. She's dead sorry, Doc. Now, if it's not too much to ask, can we PLEASE get out of this hell hole?"  
  
Aaron coughed and looked up at her from his back. "I don't think we could stop you even if we wanted to." A certain gleam came to his eyes. "What *is* that costume, dear?"  
  
"Not for your enjoyment," she retorted. Chaos suddenly smiled craftily. "It's for someone else."  
  
"Who?" Deux asked, popping suddenly into consciousness.  
  
Chaos linked her hands behind her back and tilted her head back. "Oh, someone you don't know. I think he'll enjoy it a lot. Once he gets past his slight problem."  
  
"What problem?" Aaron and Deux asked together.  
  
Chaos looked significantly at them, and a look of understanding dawned on their faces.  
  
"Oooooooh. *That*."  
  
She giggled, and nodded. Chaos made a tiny motion with her left hand, and she was suddenly the familiar blonde haired, blue eyed demon. Usagi giggled again, and gave Aaron and Deux a huge hug.  
  
"Now that's what I'M talking about," Aaron whooped.  
  
"Baka!" the two girls screeched.  
  
"Even though he is a kawaii baka," Deux whispered in Usagi's ear.  
  
Usagi burst out laughing, and Aaron looked more than offended. "Excuse me, but could you PLEASE talk about me behind my back when I'm not here? That would be a major boost to my self-esteem. I seriously think my problem is that everyone talks about me right in my face! It's seriously damaging my self-image!"  
  
"Shut up, Q. Cinq and Uno are 'porting us back," the Dr. said roughly.  
  
"Roger," the three younger demons chimed.  
  
The Dr. rolled his eyes, and punched the button. Without even a warning, the four (plus one body) were standing in the living room looking very pleased with themselves. Rei launched herself at Usagi.  
  
"What did you DO? We saw that whole new transformation! Who are you?"  
  
Usagi bowed. "Sailor Chaos, at your service."  
  
Minako squealed. "You looked so kawaii! Evil, rabid, bunny kawaii, but kawaii! And that whole light saber thingy! That was so cool! How come we don't have cool things like that? Oh, the look on Mia's face was priceless! I was like: WOW!"  
  
Usagi glared at the other blonde, who stepped back, giggling sheepishly. "Of course, it wasn't a LIGHT SABER! Oh ho ho! Not a LIGHT SABER! It was so, like, um, not a light saber! Totally a much cooler glowy sword! That you stab people with?" Minako finished timidly.  
  
Everyone burst out laughing and after a minute of sulking, Minako joined them. Ikuko smiled, and hugged her baby. "Usagi, I'm just glad that you're safely home. Now, are you going to be staying?"  
  
Usagi glared at her. "Not like I want to. But, seeing as you pay for everything, I'll stay until I complete my fortunes."  
  
Amos sniggered. The blonde whipped her head around and stalked up to him. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him down to her level.  
  
"I will never forgive you. I am never, ever going to speak to you ever again. You or Tony!"  
  
Amos snickered. "I can't believe you forgot."  
  
Usagi's face darkened. "Forgot what, jackass?"  
  
He smiled indulgently. "I'll give you a hint. Kawaii, depraved French d--- girl. Insane Irish criminal. Pot smoking heroes. Fem-boy. Slightly crazy American who likes to light people on fire. Knife throwing, homicidal model. Singing, car stealing Canadian. Trigger happy heartthrob. Braided baka. Sadistic homosexual trainer. Demonic drill sergeant. Have I covered everyone?"  
  
A look of pure horror descended on Usagi's face. "I am going to die," she said with great finality.  
  
Amos shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. I'm looking forwards to your confrontation with that Hiiro boy of yours. Or will you go for Ranma? Possibly even that Duo?"  
  
Amazingly, Usagi blushed a low-keyed pink. "Not Ranma. Duo, GOD no! Lorraine's got him staked out! I don't think she's going to let him get away."  
  
Ikuko, Haruka, and Kenji advanced on her. "And?"  
  
Usagi gulped, and spun, coming face to face with Rachel. "AAAAAAHHHHH!!! MIA'S COME BACK ALIVE! WATCH OUT!"  
  
Rachel giggled. "I'm not Mia. I'm her older sister, Rachi."  
  
A wicked gleam came to Usagi's eyes. "Well in THAT case! As the rightful Tsuki no Hime, I hereby announce Liko Rachi as the NEW rightful Tsuki no Hime, also as the new, brand spankin' new SAILOR MOON!" Usagi shoved the Silver Crystal into the startled Rachel's hands, and then took a giant step back.  
  
There was a small flash of light, and then there was a tall, slender woman with long lavender hair standing before them looking incredibly angry.  
  
"Princess Serenity! You can't do that!"  
  
"What? What? I can't hear you! The LAST princess you set up just tried to kill me, I'm a little bit fucked up right now!"  
  
"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" the woman screamed.  
  
Usagi opened her mouth in a little 'o'. "Oh, I heard that! And guess what? I JUST DID! SCREW YOU!"  
  
The blonde demon suddenly vanished, laughing madly. The woman burst into angry tears, and followed suit. Apparently deciding that it wasn't worth hanging out without Usagi, the visiting demons vanished, also. Gohan just stared, and then turned to Luna, who was standing beside him and looking quite calm about everything.  
  
"Is this normal?" he blurted.  
  
Luna, Rei, Ami, and everyone else looked at him in surprise. Then Minako let out a full belly laugh. "Oh God. Poor Gohan. This is everyday stuff!" she exclaimed, waving her hand airily.  
  
"Oh, really?" Rei asked, eyebrow twitching.  
  
Realizing what she had implied, Minako clapped her hand over her mouth. "Ano.iie, Rei-chan! Iie! Not normal! Not normal! But, um, definitely not weird. More..normal than weird. I mean---"  
  
"We get it, Mina-chan," Makoto said soothingly. "Here, let's all troop down to my place, and I'll make us some cookies, saa?"  
  
Minako squealed happily and hugged Makoto hugely. Ami giggled at their antics, while Rei just rolled her eyes and tried to look above silliness. The effect was ruined somewhat when Minako hugged Rei "for forgiving her". Hotaru looked up from her comic book, smiled slightly, tapped Michiru's shoulder. The woman nodded and smiled, and picked up their coats.  
  
It was only a few minutes later while they were walking to Makoto's that Haruka realized something. "Koneko never told us who Hiiro was!"  
  
"Now, Haruka.."  
  
*  
  
*  
  
Camp Happy Pines (at long last!)  
  
  
  
  
  
Usagi peeked out from behind a tree. Lorraine, Bleac, Nick, Ranma, Trunks, and Goten were standing there looking incredibly glum. They were Cabin Teners! They had absolutely no right to be glum! No right at all!  
  
She stomped over to them and yanked hard on Ranma's braid. His head snapped back, and he spun ready to attack. The poor boy was obviously not expecting someone so much below his line of vision. Well, he wasn't expecting Usagi either. His jaw dropped open and he just stood there in a half fighting stance with his mouth open wide.  
  
"What the HELL is wrong with YOU?" Usagi shouted.  
  
Lorraine spun, and let out a blood curdling scream. "BUNNY!"  
  
Bleac, Lorraine, and everyone else glomped her all at the same time. They were all talking to her at once while Usagi tried to recite a garbled version of her adventures in the other world. The pilots, Relena, and James had heard the scream, and had run over to the site as quickly as possible. Needless to say, they were slightly puzzled when they saw almost all of Cabin Ten involved in what looked like a highly emotional group hug. Duo suddenly let out a happy shout, and hurtled himself into the hug.  
  
Then all the others caught the familiar blonde odangos, and grinned. Except for Hiiro, who glared even more. She was going to get it.  
  
Usagi finally wriggled out of the hug, and ran over to give her Uncle Sanagi a big hug. "Ohayo, Uncle Sanagi! I didn't leave you! I only went to kick some serious bitch ass!"  
  
He winced at her language, but hugged her back, anyways. "Watch your language," he said gruffly.  
  
She giggled, gave a quick hug to James (who was crying loudly), and then walked over to Hiiro. Usagi grinned up at him. "I made up a costume that I think you should see," she announced. "Consider it my apology for leaving you all to your trigger happy self."  
  
"If you ever run off like that *ever* again, I'm going to be forced to kill you," he said solemnly.  
  
"I'd like to see you try," she challenged, pushing her face up close to his. Ha! See him get out of this one.  
  
He seemed to realize that he was trapped, because he smirked down at her. "I can be very, very good at torture," he warned quietly.  
  
"I'm sure," Usagi said equally softly.  
  
Minutely shaking his head, he closed the distance and kissed her. Usagi felt her knees going weak again, and put her arms around his neck. It wouldn't do to faint while he was working. Who ever knew Hiiro was such a great kisser? I mean, damn.  
  
Lorraine coughed loudly, and Lexie whistled loudly. Bleac whooped. "Get a room," they all yelled.  
  
Usagi twisted out of Hiiro's arms and grinned cheekily at them. "I will!" she yelled back.  
  
Hiiro went beat red, and Usagi giggled. He was so kawaii! Lorraine ran up to her, and yanked her away.  
  
"Sorry to burst your little bubble, girl, but we've got a tournament to win!"  
  
  
  
  
  
The announcer stepped timidly up to the podium and looked out over the great sea of faces. A few in particular stood out, and the nine were all grinning evilly at him. His knees went weak, and for one horrible moment he thought he was going to cry. The teens from Cabin Ten had never been so mean to him before! But, he had to admit, they would call it being very, very nice.  
  
It honestly wasn't Bleac's fault that the man was fine, and that he had a hentai side. It also was completely not her fault that she was overly fond of being a tease. It was entirely her mother's fault for not getting her the Ken doll when she was seven. It all started then, really.  
  
So, just to make him sweat, the redhead grinned incessantly up at the podium, where she could see the sweat beginning to break out on his brow. GOD, it was so much fun playing with people like that!  
  
"WELCOME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN TO THE CAMP HAPPY PINES TOURNAMENT! EVERY MEMBER FROM EACH CABIN WILL BE COMPETING IN A CERTAIN ACTIVITY, AND WHICH EVER TEAM HAS THE MOST WINS WILL WIN AN ALL EXPENSE PAID TRIP TO HAWAII! THANK YOU! NOW, ROUND ONE: RACING! ON YOUR MARK! GET SET! GO!" he yelled, shooting the gun into the air.  
  
A few seconds later, the crowd roared in pleasure when a certain lavender haired, red eyed Canadian broke though the finish line. She skidded to a halt, and did the Happy Fish Dance on Tuesday over to her group, who whooped, yelled, and raised several cans of spray paint into the air. God forbid.  
  
"AND THE WINNER IS ALEXIS MONTGOMERY! NEXT UP IS SWIMMING!"  
  
Lorraine dipped her toe into the water and shivered. God DAMN it was always so fucking COLD. Why, oh, why had she signed up for swimming? Her trained eye went right to the guys in swim trunks and nodded to herself, already remembering why she had volunteered so easily. Sighing loudly again, she drew the attention of every male on the dock. Lorraine shook her head, sending her flattened hair spiking back up again.  
  
When she was well on her way to reducing a nearby boy to a quivering pile of mess, she found two glares being directed at her. One was from Duo, who was obviously a teensy bit displeased with her show. She winced slightly. If he got mad at her, it would ruin all her chances of her getting him in one of her thongs. The other glare was from Usagi, who had been gesturing wildly for the last few minutes. The blonde made a quick motion with her hand, which meant: Are you going to play with Duo-kun tonight?  
  
Lorraine nodded. Usagi looked like she wanted to squeal. She made another hand motion, which meant: KAWAII! And then another which meant: Where should I get Hiiro to play?  
  
Lorraine thought for a second, and then made a long, complicated motion. Usagi's eyes widened, filled with unwanted ecchi thoughts. She shrieked loudly, and then burst into laughter. Lorraine slapped her forehead, and then realized that Bleac and Mary were trying very, very hard not to lose composure. She had forgotten that Usagi had taught them. Oops. Hiiro was looking from Usagi, to Lorraine, to Bleac, to Mary, to Duo, and then back again, trying to figure out what was so funny. Duo looked as clueless as Hiiro, but he was at least able to get the gist of the conversation. He leaned over to Hiiro.  
  
"Hii-chan, your girlfriend and mine are planning some hentai things for us. I'm scared."  
  
Hiiro glared at him, and the braided boy laughed. "You'll never change!"  
  
Usagi shot them an evil look. "Don't be so sure, Duo-kun. I'm very capable of taking, wrapping, and corrupting, thank you much."  
  
The gun suddenly blasted, making Usagi scream. Lorraine fell into the water with a gurgled shout, but resurfaced and zoomed through the water through the finish line.  
  
"BOINK!" she yelled enthusiastically when she pulled herself onto the floating dock at the finish line. Everyone blushed, but at least acknowledged the slightly insane Lorraine as the winner.  
  
"AND THE WINNER OF ROUND TWO IS LORRAINE DUPONT, ONCE AGAIN FROM CABIN TEN! UP NEXT IS THE VERY EXCITING HAND-TO-HAND!"  
  
Which, actually, wasn't very exciting, because Trunks toyed with his victims before finishing them off with even one punch. He had a slight problem with that bitch Tendo, but he was so pissed at her that it really hadn't made any difference. He didn't even toy with her, actually. He just sent her flying out of the arena and into the audience, who cheered on as Trunks took his bows.  
  
"AND AGAIN THE WINNER IS FROM CABIN TEN! TRUNKS BRIEFS! ROUND FOUR: ARCHERY!"  
  
Nick was bored. Oh God he was so bored. Life was just psycho enough not to try suicide, but it was too boring to actually take an interest in what he was actually doing. He felt someone come up behind him and growl menacingly.  
  
"Nicky, if you're even thinking what I think you're thinking, I'm going to rip your balls off, mutilate them beyond all repair, and then staple them to your forehead."  
  
He turned around to smile at the pissed blonde. Knowing she hated the gesture, he reached down and patted her on the head. "I'm not going anywhere, Bunny. Any helpful, probably violent tips for archery?"  
  
Usagi nodded vigorously. "When you see the bull's eye, just imagine that it's---"  
  
"Excuse me, but you can't talk to him right before the test."  
  
Usagi gave the volunteer a cool stare, and then watched in delight as the man scurried off. "As I was saying. Are you mad at anyone right now?"  
  
Nick tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well," he said slowly, "I'm pissed at my mom."  
  
"Okay, good. Well, imagine it's her heart; alive, beating, keeping her here so that she can bitch and rip you to shreds the second you get home."  
  
"You're a sick, twisted person, Usagi Tsukino."  
  
He got a bull's eye all the ten times he aimed and fired.  
  
Needless to say, Cabin Ten won again. The games continued, and everyone was getting bored. Cabin Ten kept on winning, and winning and winning. Usagi won the Tree Course in record time, seeing as she had caught sight of a slightly smaller version of the spider she had destroyed a while back sitting on one of her opponent's shoulders.  
  
Ranma actually had entered into the fencing event, and did quite well for someone who mostly relied on his fists. There was just something comforting about waving a sharp object at an opponent.  
  
And of course, a good Game can't have ONLY sports like what had been seen, so they had a dance off. That had probably been the hardest to score. There were some amazing dancers in the group, but when Bleac got up there to Dirty Vegas' "Days Go By", it was pretty much unanimous that she was the winner. There was, however, one particularly entertaining event down in the pit before the agility contest.  
  
Usagi ran over to Tsuzumi, waving happily. "ZUMI! ZUMI! I've saved you for EVER now! You owe me!" she said smugly.  
  
Lorraine, Hiiro, Duo, Bleac, and Lexie all looked at her in confusion. What the hell was Usagi talking about? The blonde was standing with her feet spread apart, with her hands on her hips. The black haired model stood up, very, very slowly.  
  
"You realize," she said softly, "that I'm going to kill you."  
  
Usagi frowned, secretly delighted. CONFRONTATION! She thrived off it! "Why?" she asked innocently. "We're not bound anymore! So. what's the problem?"  
  
"The PROBLEM is, my dear, that I was the temporary Keeper. You are now the Keeper. Everything goes to you. I AM COMPLETELY POWERLESS! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"  
  
Shiro threw herself at the blonde, who screamed in terror and flung herself at Amos, who was just barely materializing. She clung to him, and turned on the tears.  
  
"AMOS! SAVE ME! SHIRO-BAKA IS GOING TO KILL ME!"  
  
Amos frowned at her, and then dropped her on the ground. "Don't touch me," he said fiercely. "You'll get more magic on me," he mumbled. "Shiro, just because you have a so-called "lifetime guarantee" that her death won't effect yours, you still have to consider one thing. Since you're both connected completely to Chaos, to kill one would be the destruction of the other."  
  
Usagi and Tsuzumi both stared at him in shock, completely ignoring everyone else. Tsuzumi took a deep breath, and took a big step towards him.  
  
"You tricked me," she finally said softly. "You threatened to tell everyone about Usagi and me, if I didn't shut up about your little sister problem!"  
  
Amos held his hands up, glancing at Usagi, who was looking more and more interested by the second. "Now Zumi-chan---"  
  
"DON'T ZUMI-CHAN ME, AMOS! I DON'T CARE IF YOU GET REINCARNATED OR NOT! IF I HAD JUST SHOWED UP AND HELPED USAGI IN HER DUMB FIGHT, YOU WOULD STILL BE DEAD, I'D STILL HAVE MY POWERS, AND YOU WOULD HAVE NO RIGHT TO EVEN COME UP HERE OUTSIDE OF YOUR ORDERS!"  
  
Usagi began to look dangerous. "Explain, Amos. Now."  
  
He gulped, and backed up. "Usa-chan---"  
  
"TELL HER!" Tsuzumi screamed.  
  
"TELL ME!" Usagi screamed.  
  
"ALL RIGHT! Usagi, you're my litter sister, I'm sorry to say. Half- sister, anyways. We've got the same Dad, Lord Samuel of Saturn. Shinigami told me that if I could get you to find your Chaos powers, I could get my Affirmation of Reincarnation, and I would be allowed off my city-arrest. So, I threatened to tell everyone about how if you kill Zumi-chan, you die, and visa-versa. She shut up, and I did too. So now she's without her powers, you're WITH them, and I'm allowed to FINALLY get reincarnated!"  
  
Usagi laughed. "Oh, is THAT all? I'm glad you told me, nii-kun! I'm ALSO glad to get back at Zumi-chan for nearly---"  
  
"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU BOTH! THE WHOLE FAMILY! EVERYONE! I'LL KILL YOU, USAGI!"  
  
"YOU CAN'T," Usagi screamed back, laughing madly.  
  
"I don't care!" The model shouted angrily.  
  
Usagi let out a small squeak and threw herself behind Wufei, who reflexively drew his katana. Seconds before Tsuzumi impaled herself, Usagi saw the danger and screeched loudly.  
  
"Tsuzumi, watch out!" the blonde yelled as she shoved the other out of the sword's way.  
  
The model saw the sword's point nearing Usagi's belly, and knocked her feet out from under her. When they were both certain Wufei wasn't going to kill either of them, they immediately went back to clawing at each other. Amos just began to back up, and tried to disappear. Usagi and Tsuzumi both saw this and attacked him.  
  
"Nii-chan, you can't leave yet!"  
  
"I still need to kill you!"  
  
Amos yelped, threw them away from himself as hard as he could, and escaped back to Abbadon as quickly as possible. Maybe Shinigami had a reason for not letting him up onto Earth. He seemed to always get people riled up. He couldn't imagine why.  
  
Leaky magic runs in the family, hmm?  
  
Lorraine and the others just watched while the two girls grappled with each other on the ground. Duo cocked his head, and Bleac just smiled wryly.  
  
"This is about the weirdest thing I have ever seen!"  
  
"ROUND NINE! AGILITY!"  
  
"That's your cue, Zumi-chan," Usagi laughed as she ducked a well aimed punch.  
  
"I don't give a damn!" Tsuzumi yelled, trying to gouge Usagi's eyes out with her nails.  
  
"Zumi, if you don't get up there and do the fucking test, I swear to God I'm going to hurt you very, very badly," Lexie growled, walking up to her.  
  
Tsuzumi flipped her hair over her shoulders. "I don't give a damn about Cabin Ten."  
  
A smirk danced across Usagi's lips. "If you don't get up there, I'm going to kill us."  
  
"I hate you," Tsuzumi said finally, stomping over to the contest arena.  
  
Five minutes later.. "AND SHIRO TSUZUMI FROM CABIN TEN IS THE WINNER OF THE AGILITY CONTEST! NOW FOR ROUND TEN! THE MOST HAZARDOUS TEST! THE TEST THAT IS NOT ONLY TERRIFYING, BUT DIFFICULT AS WELL! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! I GIVE YOU THE ANKLE RACE!"  
  
The crowd erupted with cheers, but everyone in Cabin Ten just stared. The ankle race? The ankle race? James picked himself up off the ground, and his eyes filled with tears, remembering the last time they had played the ankle race game. He had tied Lorraine's ankles to Usagi and Bleac, and set them off at a run. They hadn't been able to get off the ground afterwards.  
  
Usagi gulped, and shared a terrified look with Lorraine and Bleac. They all gave each other a big hug, murmuring things like, "I'll remember you," or "I'll see you in Hell," or "I was better off knowing you,".  
  
Suddenly Lexie gasped. "Guys! I have an idea! Here's what we're going to do.."  
  
  
  
  
  
Everyone stared in anticipation as the Cabin members lines up to take the last, and hardest test. From the stands, Quatre, Duo, and Hiiro could see their girls lining up, smirking. Just watching Usagi give a significant look to the others made Hiiro want to smirk. Yes, Usagi was certainly one of a kind. Smart, pretty, and best of all, she didn't take crap from anyone. He was proud of her, even though he knew that he had nothing to do with her current attitude.  
  
Quatre on the other hand couldn't believe that he had gotten mixed up with someone like Bleac. What would his father have said? His uncle, whom he *called* Father, was nice enough, but the boy was fairly certain that he wouldn't appreciate adding Bleac to the family, if they ever got around to legalizing their togetherness. Oddly enough, even though Bleac stood for things that he wouldn't dream of standing for, he was proud of her. She, like Usagi and Lorraine, were strong individuals that were screwed over as children, and somehow managed to turn out as pretty good people. Despite the fact they were all criminals. but they were nice, pretty, and charismatic criminals, he thought, justifying his actions.  
  
For the track course, Lorraine looked up at Duo and blew a kiss. Duo grinned and made a signal with his fingers. Even from up where he was, he could see Lorraine's look of shock, chagrin, and then delight. The black girl was laughing, and then was elbowed sharply by Bleac, and then leaned over to whisper something to Usagi, who cracked up. God, he was lucky. Even if his girl was insane. it worked for him. God, wouldn't Hilde be *mad*?  
  
Lorraine giggled again, earning herself a strange look from Usagi.  
  
"What's wrong with YOU?" she asked loudly.  
  
Akane looked over at them, and smirking. Cabin Ten was notorious for their inter-cabin fights. This could be good. If she was lucky, they'd trip over themselves while they were fighting. Suddenly Ryoga poked her.  
  
"Akane-chan, they're talking to you," he said softly.  
  
She glared at him. "Shut up, Ryoga." Turning her head away, found herself looking into sharp, painfully brilliant blue eyes. It was then that Akane noticed that Usagi's eyes were tinted with a light, light shade of red. Realization slapped her full in the face, and she opened her mouth, but Usagi beat her to it.  
  
"What the hell were you staring at us for, bitch?"  
  
"Why aren't you human?" Akane retorted.  
  
Everyone in Cabin Six turned their head to look at the smirking Akane and the-grinning?---Usagi. The blonde linked her hands behind her back, and rocked back on her heels.  
  
"Because I made a nasty little habit of killing people I don't like," she returned levelly.  
  
Lorraine grabbed Usagi's arm and dragged her back into line. "Come on, Bunny. He's getting ready to start. Okay guys---"  
  
"ON YOUR MARK!"  
  
"-one---"  
  
"GET SET"  
  
"---two---"  
  
"GO!"  
  
"---three! Can can, can you do the can can, can you do the can can---!"  
  
And so Cabin Ten can-canned their way to a mocking, laughing win. When Nick shoved Trunks over the finish line, everyone else was yanked along with him by their ankles. Usagi and Bleac clutched at each other, laughing.  
  
"Oh God.." Usagi gasped out.  
  
"Did you see Tendo's FACE?" Bleac giggled.  
  
"She looked so MAD!"  
  
The two collapsed into giggles, but were dragged to their feet by pleased boyfriends. Hiiro tried to glare at Usagi for a minute, but was suckered into giving her a big hug by her huge puppy eyes. Duo and Lorraine had no such qualms, and Quatre gave Bleac a chaste kiss on the cheek. Or, he tried to. Bleac twisted at the last moment, turning it into lightly more than a chaste kiss.  
  
Shy, Sanagi, and James ran up all trying to shout over the other. Realizing that they were going to get to the group first, Shy finally stuck her foot out, tripped her uncle and James, and launched herself at Usagi.  
  
"Usagi!" she cried, sobbing. "I don't know whether I should kill you or hug you!"  
  
Usagi smiled comfortably from the constricting circle of Shy's arms. "Hold me," Usagi said mock-passionately.  
  
The brown haired girl hurriedly let go of her, causing Usagi to laugh.  
  
"Why the hell would you want to kill me?" Usagi asked curiously, trying not to laugh at the expression on Sanagi's face while he tried not to look at Quatre and Bleac. Lordie..  
  
Mary put her hands on her hips. "Well, I wonder dumbass! Ever since I met you I've either been talking to demons, running for my life, giving people Bitch Talks, or getting guns shoved in my face!" she yelled, giving an evil look to Hiiro, who just shrugged.  
  
"Hn."  
  
Usagi just laughed. "It's not my fault!"  
  
Everyone stared at her, and then Duo cleared his throat. "Actually, Usa- chan," he paused at Hiiro's glare, and then hurried on. "You leak magic, baka!"  
  
The blonde stared at them, and when she got no consolation, cracked up. "Damn, I love live," she whooped.  
  
  
  
  
  
That night---  
  
  
  
  
  
Relena stood on the stage behind the podium, eyes suspiciously shiny. "Everyone," she said in a trembling voice, "I have to say, I have been profoundly influenced by this summer, and the events that have come along with it. I have learned that when something is unattainable, you don't sit around waiting for it to come to you. You get up and go off looking around for something better, or almost as good. Everyone at this camp helped me understand that. I'm also going to go home with a larger understanding of this world's teens, and what makes them tick," she said with a ghost of a smile.  
  
"But before I start crying, I want to welcome Bleac Jones, who is going to sing a song for us, as our last memory of this camp."  
  
The redhead bounded up onto the stage, and yanked the microphone from the unresisting Relena. Swinging towards the crowd, she beamed at them happily. Bleac withdrew a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and scrutinized it carefully. Apparently deciding that it was evil, or dirty (which was probably more like the truth), she waved it at the crowd irritably.  
  
"Hey y'all! On this paper RIGHT HERE," she said, putting a special significance on the words "right here, "says every goddamn thing I'm supposed to say to you. Guess what?"  
  
She ripped it up. "It's bullshit! To Hell with all that emotional shit, and let's just get to the fucking point. This camp was the most horrible goddamn thing that I have ever gone to. But the things that have happened to me here are---well, there's been some pretty cool shit. I've gotten myself friends who are just as screwed over as I am, and as an added bonus-- -I have a boyfriend! I tried to think of something that wouldn't bore you TOO much, and Bunny---"  
  
Usagi yelled something that Bleac ignored (but made everyone around her snicker).  
  
"Hi Bunny.. And Bunny demanded that I said something about Green Day; her Gods. So, I found a Green Day song that pretty much sums this camp up. Not my usual style, but pretty nice. Ladies and gents, say hello to "Good Riddance", by Green Day."  
  
She cleared her throat, swung her guitar strap around her neck, and let the words pour from her mouth.  
  
"Another turning point/ a fork stuck in the road/ time grabs you by the wrist/ directs you where to go/ so make the best of this test/ and don't ask why/ it's not a question/ but a lesson learned in time. It's something unpredictable/ and in the end is right/ I hope you had the time of your life. So take the photographs/ and still frames in you mind/ hand it on a shelf of good health/ and good time/ tattoos of memories/ and dead skin on trial/ for what it's worth/ it was worth all the while. It's something unpredictable/ and in the end is right/ I hope you had the time of your life/ it's something unpredictable/ and in the end is right/ I hope you had the time of your life/ it's something unpredictable/ and in the end is right/ I hope you had the time of your life."  
  
She bowed, red hair tumbling haphazardly over her shoulders. The crowd burst into wild cheering, prodded on by an enthusiastic Shy, Usagi, Bleac, and Lorraine. Catching sight of a figure making its way to the stage with a CD in hand, Relena decided to clear the area, knowing that it was about time for Usagi and her friends to turn this place into a raging madhouse.  
  
Relena turned to go, and ran right into five girls who were smirking evilly at her. Usagi and Shy grabbed her arms, while Lorraine and Bleac picked up her legs.  
  
"WE'VE GOT THE LADY!" they all screamed together.  
  
Relena heard the answering roar of the crowd and struggled desperately to get away. No luck. Usagi, Lorraine, Bleac, and Shy ran out to the edge of the stage. The crowd spilled forwards to meet them as they flung themselves and Relena into the throng. The pacifist shrieked in terror, and was dimly aware that she was glad to be wearing shorts.  
  
  
  
  
  
The next day..  
  
  
  
  
  
Usagi glared furiously at the window as they pulled up to the bus stop in Tokyo. She could already see her parents. Were they even aware that nothing had happened to her at camp? Nothing that they wanted, anyways. The image blurred, and for one second she was terrified that she was going blind again. Then she realized that her cheeks were wet. She was crying.  
  
"Shit," she muttered softly.  
  
Nick patted her shoulder. "Crying?" he asked softly.  
  
"Of course not!" she snapped.  
  
"Well, good. 'cause I am, and, well.."  
  
She turned back to him, and discovered that indeed, Nick's eyes were filled with tears. Deciding to go with it, she burst into tears and flung her arms around him. She felt another set of arms, and then another, and another, and another, and another. Lorraine, Trunks, Bleac, Goten, and Lexie. They were all bawling.  
  
Usagi distantly heard Tsuzumi's loud sigh, and her footsteps exiting the bus. Trunks finally broke away scrubbing furiously at his face to be rid of the tears.  
  
"Remember guys," he said huskily, "don't change. Well, you can change, Lorra---"  
  
She punched him lightly, and then drew herself up tall. The black girl slapped Usagi, Lexie, and Bleac lightly.  
  
"Come on guys, we don't want them actually to think that we got emotional after the camp, do we? Come on! Goddess faces, folks! Gods, for y'all!"  
  
Usagi nodded, and composed her face into a haughty mask. Then she snuck a look at how Bleac was doing, and totally lost it. She doubled over laughing, while Bleac looked at her in confusion.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your lipstick is smeared," Lexie muttered, dragging everyone off the bus.  
  
"That's because she was snogging Winner the whole way home," Nick muttered.  
  
Usagi took a step towards her family, and then turned around. "G' bye, Lorra-baka. I'll miss you, Bleac. And everyone! God, I hate---"  
  
"Goodbyes," everyone finished glumly.  
  
Suddenly Lorraine laughed loudly. "Aw, come on guys! You don't seriously think this is goodbye, do you? It's a fact," she said to their sad faces, "That people like us attract other people like us. And since there is no one else like us, we'll meet up again! No worries!"  
  
Usagi nodded, and gave Lorraine one final hug. "Bye Lorraine! Don't get Duo *too* excited over moving in together," she muttered.  
  
Lorraine laughed. They went through another round of hugs, and finally, reluctantly, went to their parents. Lorraine watched her best friends walk away. Somewhere in the crowd she could hear Lexie's mother asking what kind of activities she had done.  
  
"None of your damn business! But if you really want to know, I did some major time social adjustments," Lexie was saying with a snicker.  
  
Lorraine could almost see the look from Lexie that the poor Chinese boy was trying desperately to ignore. Alas, no one could ignore Lexie for long, and he was no exception. He glanced at her and immediately turned beet red. Lexie's mom noticed and hurried her daughter away with all possibly speed.  
  
Usagi was shouting obscenities at her brother, Ranma was insulting anyone who talked to him, while making plans with Nick, Trunks, and Goten to run away (it sounded like it was going to work!). Bleac was happily recounting her escapades at camp to her beaming father.  
  
The black girl stood against the wall for the better part of an hour while the buses were unloaded. She watched silently as her friends left, and the buses rumbled off without a single thing to remember the teens it carried. Finally, when the lot was cleared, Lorraine stepped from the wall and twirled in a circle.  
  
She wobbled to a dizzy halt, regained her balance, and reached into her pocket. Pulling out a black box of matches, she kissed it, and then raised it to the sky.  
  
"Who's God?" she no one in particular. "I am," she said to herself smugly.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Ten years later:  
  
  
  
  
  
Une waited impatiently for the man to pick up. Typical of the man she had met to wait for the last ring to pick up. Right before she was about to hang up, he picked up.  
  
"What?" he snapped into the phone.  
  
"Hello to you to, Wufei Chang," she said pleasantly, sifting through the stack of pictures Usagi had sent her.  
  
The one she was holding was of a group of twenty year olds. There were at an ice-cream parlor. She recognized the pilots, of course, and Usagi, but the others were unknown to her. What shocked her about the picture was that the people were obviously having a food fight, because Quatre had ice cream all over his face. A redhead girl was aiming a spoonful at Hiiro, who was getting ready to tickle the blonde who was now the most terrifying business tyrant in the world.  
  
Wufei paused for a long time. "Une?" he asked finally.  
  
"Yes, it's me. I haven't spoken to you in ten years. How are you?"  
  
There was another long pause. "Fine," he said gruffly.  
  
"Actually," Une said pursuing her hunch, "I haven't spoken to you since I volunteered you for Relena's summer camp. How did that go?"  
  
A very long pause. "It was interesting," he said finally.  
  
"Ah. Did anything happen?"  
  
Yet another pause. Then, "Damn it woman! I'm trying to talk on the phone!"  
  
Une could hear a woman's laughter. Her interest sharpened. "Wufei, who's that?"  
  
"My wife," he said reluctantly.  
  
Bingo!---she thought triumphantly. "Where'd you meet her?"  
  
He swore softly, and there was another feminine giggle. "At the camp."  
  
Yes! She hadn't even known that Usagi Tsukino had been a delinquent, but when she had received a package of pictures from the woman along with a list of numbers, names, and a small note, which read: 'We met a camp', she had begun to suspect.  
  
She of course had to check up on it.  
  
"What's her name?" she asked.  
  
Another huge, gaping pause. "Her name's Lexie."  
  
"Lexie Chang. Interesting. Was she a volunteer?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Ooooh. And. you still married her? I'm impressed, Chang. Now, I need to know if you have Maxwell's number. Barton's too, if you have it. And Yui's. And---"  
  
She stopped when a baby's wail filled the air. Wufei groaned. "Listen, onna. I need to go. My brat just woke up. Bye," he said as he was hanging up.  
  
Une smiled at the phone in her hands, and then placed it back into the cradle. She pulled another picture out of the pile. This one had obviously been taken in Quatre's garden. There was a sleepy looking redhead in her pajamas, smiling happily down at and equally sleepy looking Quatre, who was only in his boxers. Une studied the picture, and then found a familiar blonde head peeking from a bush. The black girl beside her was giving a thumbs-up sign to the person who was taking the picture. Looking closely, she could find several more heads looking in on the meeting---no. It was a proposal, from the way Quatre was kneeling, and holding the woman's hands.  
  
She carefully dialed the number on the back. Une let it ring for a while, and then hung up. No one home. How disappointing. Now she would call Duo. Une doubted that it would even be his number. Duo had never been the easiest person to get a hold of. Sometimes he was worse than Hiiro.  
  
Someone picked up on the third ring.  
  
"YEAH?" a woman shouted into Une's ear.  
  
Une held the phone away from her ear, and when the ringing had stopped, she brought it back. "Hello? May I speak to Duo Maxwell?"  
  
The woman laughed. "Well, it depends on who it is. If it's Fei-chan, sure. Hii-chan, sure. Trowa-san, sure. Quatre-chan, IIE! But you're a woman, and unless you're having a torrid affair with him, you may speak to him."  
  
The woman waited. Une cleared her throat. "No, uh, affairs, ma'am. I would just like to speak with Duo Maxwell."  
  
"Well in that case," she said cheerfully. "DUO-KOI! GET YOUR LAZY ASS OFF THE COUCH FOR A SEC AND COME HERE! SOMEONE WANTS TO TALK WITH YOU! Oh, koi? Remember that we have to go to Bunny's party."  
  
"Hai, hai. Only if you don't forget to go! I had to go alone last time, and Usagi was furious! I was afraid she was going to go Chaos on your ass!"  
  
"Gomen, gomen. Just talk to her!"  
  
"Hello?" Duo asked, laughing.  
  
"Konichiwa, Duo. How are you?"  
  
"Une?" he gasped. "I haven't heard from you in so long! How ARE you? I'm fine! I've got myself a wife and two kids! That's an accomplishment, right?"  
  
"For a twenty seven year old? Hai. I'm fine. I've been calling people and catching up on old times."  
  
"Who've you called?" he asked interestedly.  
  
"Chang."  
  
"That was a shock, ne? With Lexie, and all. God, none of us were expecting it. We were all just sitting about in Starbucks' chatting when Wufei walks in and announces that he's going to marry Lexie, who looks just AMAZED, and then he just walks right back out. It was hilarious!"  
  
"Great. Now, who's that woman that was screaming in my ear?"  
  
"Oh, her? She's my wife, Lorraine. She likes to get over excited, and she has just been told that she got the part for the new movie called Monkey Wrench, based on the novel by Rachel Liko. Ha! Lorraine was right when she said that we couldn't NOT see each other! Minako Anio is in the movie, too! Ami Mizuno is doing the research for the medicine involved, Michiru Kaioh and Haruka Ten'ou are doing the music, Rei Hino is directing it, and Makoto Kino is going along for the ride. Funny how those things go isn't it? Have you ever tried Kino's food? God, she started up a restaurant WITH FIVE MILLION STAR RATINGS over in Europe. Barton has said some good things about it."  
  
Une was about to comment on his mini-speech, and how his talking ability hadn't changed a bit when she was interrupted yet again.  
  
"BAKA! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" Lorraine screamed at him from somewhere in the house.  
  
Duo laughed. "Gotta run. See ya 'round!"  
  
Une listened to the dial tone for a while, and then hung up. Shaking her head, she dialed Hiiro's number. Someone picked up right away.  
  
"Michiko?" he asked urgently.  
  
"Iie," she said uncertainly.  
  
"Hello," he said sullenly after a long pause.  
  
"Hiiro?" Une asked hesitantly. She had hoped that he had changed.  
  
Another huge pause. "Hiiro's my dad."  
  
"Are you sure? Who's your mother? Who is this?"  
  
"No, Mom won't tell me who my dad is. She says it would be the biggest scandal since Mr. and Mrs. Winner. Who're you? You called me!" he challenged.  
  
Une heard a woman's heels clicking against the floor, and then an irritated voice. "Mr. Anderson, I can assure you that I had nothing to do with your daughter's stock problems. Now, for the last goddamn time, get the hell out of my face before I give the press a story that 'll really make them dance," the woman threatened. "Oh! Motoki! Who're you talking to? Give me the phone. Hello?"  
  
Une swallowed. She knew that voice, and frankly, it was a voice that scared the living daylights out of her. "This is Une, Ms. Tsukino."  
  
There was a delighted laugh. "Une! How delightful to finally hear from you! I trust that you got my package?"  
  
"Yes, of course. Why did you send it to me?"  
  
"Oh, I was getting bored. Any questions in particular?"  
  
Did she have questions? Noooo. Of course not. "How's your family?"  
  
Usagi snickered. "My first mother hates me, my second mother is dead, my second father is a New York cop whom I LOVE to terrorize, and my third mother and father are still trying to figure out how a delinquent like me wound up as a business woman."  
  
Une almost smiled, but suddenly came up with another question. This one more pressing than the last. "Who was the boy that answered the phone?"  
  
"My son, Motoki. Isn't he sweet?"  
  
Une heard the little boy laugh madly from the other side of the phone and winced. Like mother like son. "Who's his father?"  
  
There was a loud sigh. "I can't tell you. Motoki is right outside the door, listening in. Let me get you Hiiro."  
  
The line went blank, and Une was on hold. She echoed Usagi's sigh. That Tsukino woman was really an interesting character. Being the most formidable woman in the world, she should have been mean, strict, and downright ugly; spiritually. Yes, Tsukino was mean. She was ruthless. She cut down all opposition. But she had an unbelievable wild side, and a capacity for alcohol and fun that was beyond belief.  
  
"What do you want, Une?"  
  
She smiled. Hiiro hadn't changed much at all, then! "Why hello, Hiiro. What would you say if I had a mission for you?"  
  
"Declined," he replied lazily. "Now what do you want?"  
  
Well THAT had been a shock. Une collected herself, and readied herself for round two. "Are you Motoki's father?"  
  
He paused slightly, and then chuckled. "Hai."  
  
And she's out! Her mind pulled herself back up, but decided to sit back down for round three. It was closer to the floor, that way. She aimed, and fired. "Are you married to Usagi?"  
  
"Iie."  
  
AND SHE'S OUT! Une sighed in frustration. All right, maybe he had changed. After all, he was siring bastard sons, laughing, having ice-cream fights, and declining missions. "Why not?"  
  
"Because if I marry her, I'll go to Hell. And as much as she loves it, I need to think about it for a bit."  
  
Une laughed, but stopped when she realized he wasn't joking. "Ano, Hiiro. Maybe you could explain this picture?"  
  
"Maybe. Which picture?"  
  
She swallowed again, and looked back down at the picture. It was kawaii, except for the fact that there was a man half-materialized floating in the air behind the couch. In the picture, Hiiro was sitting with his arm draped around Usagi's shoulders. The blonde was looking to the right (at Wufei), and she looked like she was torn between laughing and gushing over how sweet the picture was. Beside them the redhead and Quatre were looking awfully close. Like they wanted to be in a different room. Interesting, for Quatre. Wufei was being kissed by a lavender haired girl, and was looking terribly pleased about it. Frozen right as they were walking into the room, there was a handsome man with spiky black hair swinging a six pack of beer. Right behind him was four others: one man with longish purple hair, one with a black braid, another with blonde---almost white--- hair that had been spiked, and Duo, who was giving a pretty black girl a piggy back ride. They were laughing, and carrying toilet paper too.  
  
Une could almost see him smiling. "That was for Lorraine's twenty-fifth birthday. That party lasted two days. One day one we sat around, ate pizza, reminisced about camp, heard stories about Hell, and watched movies. The second day we all went downtown and shopped. Lorraine made us dress up in prom dresses." He suddenly laughed. "And then that night we toilet papered the White House."  
  
"How the hell did you get in there?" Une gasped. She had heard about that! No one had ever gotten to the bottom of it! It had driven the President mad!  
  
"We got 'Sagi to 'port us in. She's Class AA now. No, don't ask. You wouldn't believe me. Have you tried calling Winner yet?"  
  
"Yes, but he wasn't home."  
  
Hiiro snorted. "He's at the hospital with Bleac, who's having her third child. They have an obsession with children that frightens us."  
  
"Hiiro," Une asked finally, "are you glad I volunteered you for that camp?"  
  
"Very. Oh, damn. Motoki, no! The Queen of England gave us-"  
  
There was a huge crash, and Hiiro sighed long-sufferingly. "I've got to go. Maybe Usa can fix it up.." He was muttering as he hung up.  
  
Une smiled craftily. It seemed that the Drs never had to resort to Mission 5.5. That was to be the mission where they recovered the pilots' lost humanity. It seemed that Camp Happy Pines was a Mission 5.5 all in itself. Who to call next? Ah. Barton.  
  
She dialed the number carefully, and waited. And waited. And waited. And was about to hang up when---  
  
"Moshi moshi?"  
  
"Hai, Trowa?"  
  
"Une?" he asked in surprise. "What are you calling about?"  
  
"I just wanted to know how you are," she said defensively.  
  
"All right. What do you want to know?"  
  
Une smiled. She could always count on the stoic man for information. "Who's Ranma Saotome?" There had been a list of names included with the pictures, thank God. It seemed that Camp HP was a story just waiting to be told.  
  
"A wealthy billionaire who discovered the antidote to the Cursed Springs. He of course, tested it on himself, and is now one hundred percent male. He also went to camp with us."  
  
"Camp. Damn camp," she muttered. "And Nicholas Baker?"  
  
"Another camp boy. Opened a clothing store with his best friends Trunks Briefs and Goten Son. It is rumored that they are homosexual, but it has been a proven fact that all three are severely homophobic. Seems to be something that happened in camp. Nevertheless, their clothing is amazing (as the critics say) and is very, very popular right now."  
  
A suspicion grew in her. "Trowa, what is your occupation?"  
  
There was a long, embarrassed pause, and then he mumbled something. She smiled. "What did you say, Trowa-san?"  
  
"I said that I'm one of the most accurate and successful critics in the world. I'm very high in demand, and everybody wants my opinion on everything," he mumbled.  
  
"You sound like you're reading that off something!" she laughed.  
  
"I am. The New York Times. I have to go. Someone wants my opinion," he said sarcastically.  
  
"Sayonara, Trowa-san."  
  
"Ja."  
  
Click.  
  
They could change all they liked, but they'd never truly lose who they were. She pulled out another picture, and was dismayed as a silly smile leapt to her lips. Une tried to wipe the smile from her face when Relena walked into the room, but discovered that she could not.  
  
"What is it, Une?" Relena asked curiously, taking another photo from her hands.  
  
The blonde woman blanched, and then brought her face back under control. "What's this?" she asked softly.  
  
Une sniffled again. "It's Quatre-kun's wedding to Bleac Jones."  
  
"Bleac Jones?" she gasped. "The redhead from camp? Impossible!"  
  
"Possible," Une said happily. "I apologize, Relena-sama, it's just that when I was younger, I read fairy tales all the time, and they always had happy endings. I never thought happy endings were real, truthfully. But I see Hiiro, Wufei, Quatre, Duo, and Trowa happily enjoying their happy endings, so I figure, I might as well get mine too, ne?"  
  
"You call being married to an Irish criminal a happy ending?"  
  
Une sighed, and smiled at the picture again. Quatre's face was as red as a cherry tomato, and beside him Bleac was looking radiant in her black wedding. There was a huge group of people in the picture with her, including Usagi Tsukino, Minako Anio, Lorraine Maxwell, Hiiro Yui, Haruka Ten'ou, Rachel Liko, and many, many others. The smiles on their lips were big enough to split their faces in half.  
  
"Relena-sama, there are different KINDS of happy endings for different people. A happy ending could have been that Usagi was saved by her knight in shining armor. Do you think she would have taken kindly to that? No. Endings have to be flexible," she said, smiling at how silly she sounded.  
  
"Weird endings happen to weird people. That's life."  
  
Relena sighed. "Hai, I guess so."  
  
They both jumped when the doorbell rang. Une frowned. She hadn't been expecting anyone. The woman walked over to the door and opened it. Une found herself staring right into dancing blue eyes. Usagi waltzed past the frozen Une into the house, laughing. Lorraine, Hiiro, Trowa, and everyone else came pouring in after her carrying presents, wine, and food. Usagi, Lorraine, and Bleac hugged her, watched by a smirking Relena.  
  
"You planned this! Canceling all my meetings like that!" she said furiously to Relena, who just smiled.  
  
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNE-CHAN!" everyone yelled.  
  
Une tried not to smile as they swept her into the festive spirit. They DESERVED a weird ending, she thought sourly.  
  
  
  
  
  
________________  
  
Okay. That's it. That's the end. All gone. No more. Aren't you just sad? Well, hear this. Good Riddance is the only story I have ever completed. And damn, it was a BLAST to write it! I had so much fun! I hoped you liked your trip to my weird, twisted world. Please prepare to return to normalcy.  
  
*wriggles fingers*  
  
There. Now you're normal again. *begins to cry* I'll miss you! Bye! Don't forget to wriiiiiiiiite! *sobs louder* 


End file.
